I am giddy with anticipation as I write today's post. Tomorrow, I am taking a long awaited trip to the mall with my mom, my sister, my little boy and my nephew. Strollers will not hinder the shopping that will happen. Nor will the comments from passer-by about how cute our babies are slow us in the least. We three girls and our two little boys are about to embark on something I like to refer to as: Power Shopping 2011.
Perhaps that's being a little dramatic. But we really are going shopping tomorrow, and I think it's safe to say I'm more than a little eager. You see, I can't even remember the last time I went shopping for myself at the mall. I'm almost positive it was before my son was born in May. That's over NINE MONTHS, people! And for someone who loves to shop as much as me, it has been a true discipline to steer clear of that beautiful, sky-lighted, multi-story building known as the mall.
I probably won't be buying much, but I think I will allow myself one little thing. Hey, I went back to work recently - it's only right I should reward myself with something, right? I can't wait! But to ensure I don't go overboard and that I make the most of my purchase (singular, keep it singular), I have enlisted the help of Good Housekeeping's Guide to Successful Homemaking. There is plenty of great advice for shopping for women's clothing. I will list some of my favorites here:
1. Make a list at home - Know what you want before you shop. Consider the type of life you lead, the money you have to spend, the articles you need as against those you merely want.
Whoa, they have my number. I am quite the list-maker. And if I'm forced to make a list for the purpose of 50's living, well I guess that would be ok. However, the type of life I lead is one where I get pooped on and peed on occasionally, and the money I have to spend is, well, limited at best. I'm beginning to think I should be switching the location of the shopping trip to Salvation Army...
2. Buy twice a year for the main items of your wardrobe - Make a list in March and in September for the next months.
YES, it's MARCH 1st tomorrow! This was truly meant to be. I'll make the list tonight (a short one) and buy "the main items of my wardrobe" tomorrow. Oooh, maybe this means I can talk my husband into a little more buying since this will be one of two annual shopping trips for wardrobe essentials.
3. Don't go shopping with a group of friends - Or even with your best friend, unless you consider her taste so much better than your own that you are willing to follow her advice.
Um, no. Shopping is so much more fun with friends - especially my mom and sister! They will give me their truly honest opinions and maybe...just maybe...help me stick to the list. And, maybe, just maybe...they will defend my purchases to my husband for me.
4. If your budget is limited, buy things you can wear for several years -A well-made tailored suit or coat, bought with common sense and restraint, can be worn, with minor alterations, for five years. Good material will last that long.
So apparently I'm not the only one with a limited budget. And this is just giving me fodder for my "presentation" to my husband about why I bought what I did. Don't get me wrong, he's no tyrant. Our budget is just literally that limited.
5. Never lose sight of yourself - Be the complete egoist. Visualize yourself in the clothes you are buying.
Hmm...this shouldn't be too hard. Especially with the help of those new-fangled things called mirrors.
6. Never buy anything just because it is cheap -Look for fabric labels, good workmanship. Always it is better, when buying tailored clothes, to buy the very best you can afford.
So...limited budget...don't buy just because it's on sale...I think the message is ultimately to buy things that are quality so you only have to buy them once in a while. There's nothing worse than buying something and having it wear out or get a hole after wearing it once. But price doesn't always suggest quality, so I'll have to consult my posse for that. See, it's a good thing they'll be there?!
7. Think before you buy novelty gadgets - When something comes into fashion publicity that is fantastic, be wary of it. No matter how stylish a fashion or trend may be, wear it only if it suits you.
I'm not really in the market for any "gadgets" per se, but who hasn't suffered from a case of buyer's remorse when they buy something that's "in," wear it once or twice, and in the blink of an eye it's "out." I tend to hold on to clothes for a looong time, so this has been especially painful for me at times...the eyesores still inhabit my closet and taunt me every time I see them.
8. When you buy dresses, coats, or suits, take time to have them fitted carefully and altered if necessary - It is a rare figure that does not need some slight alteration in a ready-made.
I thought we were talking about saving money! Sorry, but the ready-mades are going to have to work for me. I will just have to be ultra-careful in the dressing rooms and take my time to make sure the fit of anything I buy is just right.
Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to have a 9 month old with me! I'll be lucky to get a quiet moment in the dressing room at all! Too bad he can't talk yet...it would be nice to get a guy's opinion on these things.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Country Apple Dessert
We had some friends over for dinner last night and I thought it would be fun to try out a 50's recipe on them. Unsuspecting guinea pigs, they were. I don't think any of them even know I am writing this blog, with the exception of my husband. We kept the dinner very simple, as Friday night dinners should be. My husband grilled out BBQ chicken and we had french fries to go with it. The 50's portion came at the end of the meal - country apple dessert.
I found this recipe in Successful Entertaining at Home and it, too, looked surprisingly simple and so, perfect for a Friday night. The recipe is:
To serve 6:
1 No. 2 can sliced apples (canned in sugar syrup)
butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream
One more apple dish - a country apple dessert and here's how you make it. Place sliced apples with the sugar syrup in a small, shallow baking dish and dot with butter. Mix sugar, freshly grated nutmeg, and heavy cream. Pour over the apples. Cover the dish and bake in a moderate (350 degree F) oven for 30 minutes. Uncover the last 5 minutes of baking time. Serve warm.
I was a little concerned that my apples may have been Number 1 or Number 3, as opposed to Number 2 (I have no idea what that means), but they were the canned kind in syrup used for apple pie filling so I figured they would work. I had to use 2 cans (so the number 2 did come into play at some point) in order for there to be enough to serve 6.
I think it was a hit, although I realized late in the game I didn't have aluminum foil to cover the baking dish...so uncovered it went, into the oven. It was basically like baked apples, which is a favorite of mine, and this was much simpler to prepare. Of course, I cheated a bit by not grating my nutmeg freshly. But it's all the same right? Anyway, it tasted good and hit the spot after dinner. I have to admit I was a little disappointed no one shared either my love of coffee or the 50's way of serving dessert enough to indulge in after dinner coffee with me. And, to avoid my caffeine addiction coming to light, I try to avoid drinking alone.
That's all I've got for today...the little one is teething and needs a cuddle from mama. Ah, now there's something that I imagine transcends all decades.
I found this recipe in Successful Entertaining at Home and it, too, looked surprisingly simple and so, perfect for a Friday night. The recipe is:
To serve 6:
1 No. 2 can sliced apples (canned in sugar syrup)
butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream
One more apple dish - a country apple dessert and here's how you make it. Place sliced apples with the sugar syrup in a small, shallow baking dish and dot with butter. Mix sugar, freshly grated nutmeg, and heavy cream. Pour over the apples. Cover the dish and bake in a moderate (350 degree F) oven for 30 minutes. Uncover the last 5 minutes of baking time. Serve warm.
I was a little concerned that my apples may have been Number 1 or Number 3, as opposed to Number 2 (I have no idea what that means), but they were the canned kind in syrup used for apple pie filling so I figured they would work. I had to use 2 cans (so the number 2 did come into play at some point) in order for there to be enough to serve 6.
I think it was a hit, although I realized late in the game I didn't have aluminum foil to cover the baking dish...so uncovered it went, into the oven. It was basically like baked apples, which is a favorite of mine, and this was much simpler to prepare. Of course, I cheated a bit by not grating my nutmeg freshly. But it's all the same right? Anyway, it tasted good and hit the spot after dinner. I have to admit I was a little disappointed no one shared either my love of coffee or the 50's way of serving dessert enough to indulge in after dinner coffee with me. And, to avoid my caffeine addiction coming to light, I try to avoid drinking alone.
That's all I've got for today...the little one is teething and needs a cuddle from mama. Ah, now there's something that I imagine transcends all decades.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
My Dear Mr. Chief Justice
Today I learned that the Chief Justice of the United States is John G. Roberts, Junior. It's probably sad that I had no idea of this fact prior to sitting down to write this post. Also, I really don't know much about the office of Chief Justice in general. And I'm guessing I'm not the only American who could be found lacking in this area.
How does this relate to the 1950's you ask? I was perusing Amy Vanderbilt's Guide to Gracious Living and noticed a huge portion of the book dedicated to the proper etiquette for addressing all sorts of people socially, in government, in the community, and even royalty! In this day and age of email, Twitter, and Iphones, it seems totally crazy that there was once a time (only about 50 years ago!) that people primarily communicated by letter. Obviously, there were telephones also, however, even casual invitations to small social gatherings were communicated by written invitation, so I imagine communication with the higher ups in government were as well.
Which begs the question, is the art of letter writing dead? It makes me wonder. I love to write, but I honestly can't remember the last time I sat down and wrote an actual letter. I'm not including thank you cards or birthday cards here. I'm talking about a "hey, how are you? how are things? things here are great, the family is well, next month we're going to the Catskills" LETTER.
And honestly, who doesn't love getting a letter? I remember when I was a senior in high school and my boyfriend (now my husband) lived 4 hours away at college. We wrote each other letters at least once a month, even though we also talked on the phone multiple times a week. It was so thrilling to go to the mailbox and get a letter from my man. I still have all the letters and cards he ever sent me in a big envelope. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. But even as a kid at camp or a freshman in college myself, letters from my parents were always so wonderful to receive. Getting a letter from someone just really shows you they care. Sure, a text or a Facebook post could get the "I'm thinking of you" message across, but a letter takes it to the next level.
I think I'll start writing more letters to people. It will be interesting to see the response I get - I think it could make some people feel awkward because we are so drifting away from anything truly personal in our society. People expect a call every so often or an email update here and there, but a heartfelt letter out of left field really has the potential to bowl someone over. I love it.
Fortunately for Mr. John G. Roberts, Junior, I won't be writing him a letter any time soon. Frankly, I just wouldn't know what to say. I'm sure he's doing a great job, and from what I gather, he's in there for life, so the way I see it, it won't make much difference what I say to him one way or the other. In case any of you are better patriots than I, I will include Ms. Vanderbilt's excerpt on how to address the Chief Justice of the United States:
Letter opening: Sir (business) My dear Mr. Chief Justice (social)
Closing: Very Truly Yours (business) Sincerely Yours (social)
Speaking to: Mr. Chief Justice
Introducing or Referring to: The Chief Justice
Pretty straightforward. And now, in case we should ever meet, the Chief Justice and I, I will be well prepared. For now, I'm off to go ponder who I'll write to first. Until next time, I remain, Very Truly Yours.
How does this relate to the 1950's you ask? I was perusing Amy Vanderbilt's Guide to Gracious Living and noticed a huge portion of the book dedicated to the proper etiquette for addressing all sorts of people socially, in government, in the community, and even royalty! In this day and age of email, Twitter, and Iphones, it seems totally crazy that there was once a time (only about 50 years ago!) that people primarily communicated by letter. Obviously, there were telephones also, however, even casual invitations to small social gatherings were communicated by written invitation, so I imagine communication with the higher ups in government were as well.
Which begs the question, is the art of letter writing dead? It makes me wonder. I love to write, but I honestly can't remember the last time I sat down and wrote an actual letter. I'm not including thank you cards or birthday cards here. I'm talking about a "hey, how are you? how are things? things here are great, the family is well, next month we're going to the Catskills" LETTER.
And honestly, who doesn't love getting a letter? I remember when I was a senior in high school and my boyfriend (now my husband) lived 4 hours away at college. We wrote each other letters at least once a month, even though we also talked on the phone multiple times a week. It was so thrilling to go to the mailbox and get a letter from my man. I still have all the letters and cards he ever sent me in a big envelope. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. But even as a kid at camp or a freshman in college myself, letters from my parents were always so wonderful to receive. Getting a letter from someone just really shows you they care. Sure, a text or a Facebook post could get the "I'm thinking of you" message across, but a letter takes it to the next level.
I think I'll start writing more letters to people. It will be interesting to see the response I get - I think it could make some people feel awkward because we are so drifting away from anything truly personal in our society. People expect a call every so often or an email update here and there, but a heartfelt letter out of left field really has the potential to bowl someone over. I love it.
Fortunately for Mr. John G. Roberts, Junior, I won't be writing him a letter any time soon. Frankly, I just wouldn't know what to say. I'm sure he's doing a great job, and from what I gather, he's in there for life, so the way I see it, it won't make much difference what I say to him one way or the other. In case any of you are better patriots than I, I will include Ms. Vanderbilt's excerpt on how to address the Chief Justice of the United States:
Letter opening: Sir (business) My dear Mr. Chief Justice (social)
Closing: Very Truly Yours (business) Sincerely Yours (social)
Speaking to: Mr. Chief Justice
Introducing or Referring to: The Chief Justice
Pretty straightforward. And now, in case we should ever meet, the Chief Justice and I, I will be well prepared. For now, I'm off to go ponder who I'll write to first. Until next time, I remain, Very Truly Yours.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Getting Your Money's Worth
A lot of people close to me have recently asked "Why did you start your blog? How did you choose a topic for it?" Basically, I wanted to write about something that I find interesting, and for whatever reason, the 50's have always intrigued me. I am a social worker, and I love family work - the 50's family has always appealed to me, at least the way it is depicted on tv and in movies. I wanted to choose something that I wouldn't soon lose interest in, even if no one else chooses to tune in to what I have to say.
Also, I'm a terrible "housewife." Perhaps terrible is too strong a word, but at the very least, homemaking does not come naturally to me. But I so want it to. I often find myself perusing MarthaStewart.com and reading an article where she is explaining something she (and presumably most of her readers) will find relatively simple...and I'm scratching my head wondering how the heck to plant flowers, grow vegetables, or serve a whole chicken. And I'm not convinced I will ever truly "get it."
So this is my fun experiment, and if I can learn a thing or two along the way, that's good, too. I hope to benefit my family with the changes I'm going to make, and perhaps friends, too if they should be so lucky as to sample some 50's fare (excluding noodle loaf!). I read something that encouraged me in my pursuit today and I thought I would share it with you. It's from Successful Entertaining at Home, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite books. This particular passage has do with the idea of making the most of what you have and living a rich life even if you aren't, well...rich.
I read an insurance report not long ago which said that money troubles, strangely enough, were not the greatest troubles in families. Families do remarkably well at living within their means, it seems; but getting happiness from the money they have is the great problem (p. 355).
How true is that? Since my son was born in May, my husband and I went from being DINKS (double income, no kids) to OIOKs...ok, I just made that up...one income, one kid...s..not sure it works quite the same. A synonym for that is: CRAZY. We live in one of the most expensive areas of the country and my husband is a teacher...so, you know, we're not exactly rolling in the dough. However, neither of us could stomach the idea of me working full time and putting our baby boy in daycare.
The funny thing is, we have not really struggled much, despite having significantly less money than we did a year ago. I mean, I don't get Starbucks as much, and I haven't been to the mall in a while, but I don't feel as if we've really given anything up. We still have friends over for dinner, we still go out occasionally, and we live a very full life. Not to mention I get to be with my sweet boy all day and don't have to shell out an ungodly sum for daycare every month. Oh, also...we still eat, have heat, can buy food for our son, have clothes, and HD cable TV. It's funny to think about how worried we were about money only to realize we have always had everything we need. And then some. We are truly blessed.
...Living and homemaking is a business these days, as much as any other. Let's hope you get your money's worth.
I don't know about you, but I fully intend to.
Also, I'm a terrible "housewife." Perhaps terrible is too strong a word, but at the very least, homemaking does not come naturally to me. But I so want it to. I often find myself perusing MarthaStewart.com and reading an article where she is explaining something she (and presumably most of her readers) will find relatively simple...and I'm scratching my head wondering how the heck to plant flowers, grow vegetables, or serve a whole chicken. And I'm not convinced I will ever truly "get it."
So this is my fun experiment, and if I can learn a thing or two along the way, that's good, too. I hope to benefit my family with the changes I'm going to make, and perhaps friends, too if they should be so lucky as to sample some 50's fare (excluding noodle loaf!). I read something that encouraged me in my pursuit today and I thought I would share it with you. It's from Successful Entertaining at Home, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite books. This particular passage has do with the idea of making the most of what you have and living a rich life even if you aren't, well...rich.
I read an insurance report not long ago which said that money troubles, strangely enough, were not the greatest troubles in families. Families do remarkably well at living within their means, it seems; but getting happiness from the money they have is the great problem (p. 355).
How true is that? Since my son was born in May, my husband and I went from being DINKS (double income, no kids) to OIOKs...ok, I just made that up...one income, one kid...s..not sure it works quite the same. A synonym for that is: CRAZY. We live in one of the most expensive areas of the country and my husband is a teacher...so, you know, we're not exactly rolling in the dough. However, neither of us could stomach the idea of me working full time and putting our baby boy in daycare.
The funny thing is, we have not really struggled much, despite having significantly less money than we did a year ago. I mean, I don't get Starbucks as much, and I haven't been to the mall in a while, but I don't feel as if we've really given anything up. We still have friends over for dinner, we still go out occasionally, and we live a very full life. Not to mention I get to be with my sweet boy all day and don't have to shell out an ungodly sum for daycare every month. Oh, also...we still eat, have heat, can buy food for our son, have clothes, and HD cable TV. It's funny to think about how worried we were about money only to realize we have always had everything we need. And then some. We are truly blessed.
...Living and homemaking is a business these days, as much as any other. Let's hope you get your money's worth.
I don't know about you, but I fully intend to.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
What to Know about Vino
I have a confession to make: I love wine. Don't get me wrong, I'm no alkie. But I just love a glass of wine with dinner or after dinner. If I could, I would have a glass a day - and on vacation, I do. It is my alcoholic beverage of choice, no matter where I am or what the occasion. Sure, the girly drinks are tasty and cute (who doesn't love a cosmo every now and again?), but there's just something about wine that is classy, elegant, and meant to be savored.
So as I sip a crisp glass of pino grigot (my favorite), I can think of nothing better to blog about than wine, and what every good 50's housewife should know about it. I must say I'm pleased it is mentioned at all, and exceedingly pleased that Carolyn Coggins devotes a section of her book to wine, as to how it should be served and enjoyed. For starters, Ms. Coggins suggests that it is not necessary to stock a zillion different types of wine glasses. In her own words:
Although your society grandmother may have had thirty-some different kinds of glasses for serving everything from an apertif to a liqueur, she had rows and rows of cupboard shelves for their storage and a staff to whisk them in and out. The illustrations showing different glasses for serving various things will interest you only if you are likewise ensconsced amidst the spaciousness of the past (p. 161).
Yes, I did just look up the definition for "apertif" on Merriam-Webster.com. An alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer. I didn't even know that was an option! Is that in addition to some light apps? Because who doesn't love a fine wine with a nice cheese and cracker plate? I think I'm definitely going to be a hostess who offers apertifs. And I think I might bring the word apertif into everyday conversation when possible. People will think I'm so classy. Like my beverage of choice.
Also, I must give Carolyn credit for being a woman who was probably ahead of her time. I don't know what her situation was, but I would hardly describe myself as "ensconsced amdist the spaciousness of the past," not only because I don't often use the word ensconsced, but also because in my house we find ourselves more cramped amidst the confines of our teeeeeny home. We hardly have room to walk when my son's swing, exersaucer, bumbo seat, and various other toys are out in the living room. So do we have room for shelves upon shelves of wine containers? Not a chance.
For the rest of us - which is the majority - the four-ounce stemmed glass is suggested for serving all wines. In it, pour two ounces or less of an apertif or dessert wine, or fill it when table wine is served.
It's nice to know I'm in the majority. One thing I'm curious about, however, is how you know when you've reached the "two ounce" mark. I could probably estimate a cup rather effectively, but that is what we like to call a healthy pour. I literally just asked my husband "If there are 8 oz. in a cup...that means that....2 oz. is 1/4 a cup...right?" Hmm...it might be time to put down the pino, Cath.
One thing I'm noticing is that the pours seem to have been a bit smaller in the 50's. For me, if I'm planning on having about a 1/2 a cup (4 oz.), why would I pour only 2 oz. to begin with? I feel I would be saving myself a trip to the kitchen and feel less like a lush if I only have "one glass," using my definition of it.
Too bad I didn't read this before I poured the pino tonight...into a stemless wine glass, to boot. I guess I'm learning more and more every day how much I have yet to learn about being a 50's housewife and hostess with the mostess. So, ok, I won't feel inadequate for having 6 total wine glasses in my house (4 without stems) and I'll start pouring less into each glass...starting.....now....
And by now I mean tomorrow!
So as I sip a crisp glass of pino grigot (my favorite), I can think of nothing better to blog about than wine, and what every good 50's housewife should know about it. I must say I'm pleased it is mentioned at all, and exceedingly pleased that Carolyn Coggins devotes a section of her book to wine, as to how it should be served and enjoyed. For starters, Ms. Coggins suggests that it is not necessary to stock a zillion different types of wine glasses. In her own words:
Although your society grandmother may have had thirty-some different kinds of glasses for serving everything from an apertif to a liqueur, she had rows and rows of cupboard shelves for their storage and a staff to whisk them in and out. The illustrations showing different glasses for serving various things will interest you only if you are likewise ensconsced amidst the spaciousness of the past (p. 161).
Yes, I did just look up the definition for "apertif" on Merriam-Webster.com. An alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer. I didn't even know that was an option! Is that in addition to some light apps? Because who doesn't love a fine wine with a nice cheese and cracker plate? I think I'm definitely going to be a hostess who offers apertifs. And I think I might bring the word apertif into everyday conversation when possible. People will think I'm so classy. Like my beverage of choice.
Also, I must give Carolyn credit for being a woman who was probably ahead of her time. I don't know what her situation was, but I would hardly describe myself as "ensconsced amdist the spaciousness of the past," not only because I don't often use the word ensconsced, but also because in my house we find ourselves more cramped amidst the confines of our teeeeeny home. We hardly have room to walk when my son's swing, exersaucer, bumbo seat, and various other toys are out in the living room. So do we have room for shelves upon shelves of wine containers? Not a chance.
For the rest of us - which is the majority - the four-ounce stemmed glass is suggested for serving all wines. In it, pour two ounces or less of an apertif or dessert wine, or fill it when table wine is served.
It's nice to know I'm in the majority. One thing I'm curious about, however, is how you know when you've reached the "two ounce" mark. I could probably estimate a cup rather effectively, but that is what we like to call a healthy pour. I literally just asked my husband "If there are 8 oz. in a cup...that means that....2 oz. is 1/4 a cup...right?" Hmm...it might be time to put down the pino, Cath.
One thing I'm noticing is that the pours seem to have been a bit smaller in the 50's. For me, if I'm planning on having about a 1/2 a cup (4 oz.), why would I pour only 2 oz. to begin with? I feel I would be saving myself a trip to the kitchen and feel less like a lush if I only have "one glass," using my definition of it.
Too bad I didn't read this before I poured the pino tonight...into a stemless wine glass, to boot. I guess I'm learning more and more every day how much I have yet to learn about being a 50's housewife and hostess with the mostess. So, ok, I won't feel inadequate for having 6 total wine glasses in my house (4 without stems) and I'll start pouring less into each glass...starting.....now....
And by now I mean tomorrow!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
WWJD
I'm not sure when things changed, but as far as I can tell, people used to dress a lot more thoughtfully than they do now. It seems like these days people are far more concerned with comfort than style - hello, girdles! - than they were in the 50's. Don't get me wrong, I love to be comfortable as much as the next girl, and I'd be lying if I said there weren't some days when I don modified pajamas from morning until evening because, let's face it, I often end up with upchucked Gerber as an accessory. One of the things that fascinates me most about 50's housewives is that they always seemed to be able to get things done while looking fab. I mean, let's be real - these women dusted in pearls!
From what I gather, it's not just women who were to be meticulous in their clothing and appearance. Amy Vanderbilt has plenty to say about menswear and what was appropriate or not for a man to wear to the office. Her advice to men everywhere? Be prepared.
It is safer to be dressed for any business occasion that might occur than to go to the office in clothes that might be out of place if an important client should turn up or a vital meeting be called. The beloved rainy-day suit looks shabby when the sun comes out at noon, the old tweed jacket throws a man off stride if he's suddenly precipitated into a group of men wearing directors' jackets...(p. 141).
I love how she describes this dressing up in terms of being safe. I don't think many men today (or women, for that matter) would consider their choice of wardrobe based on a very important event that might take place that day. Back then, a jacket and tie was standard attire for a working man. Obviously, there are certain professions today in which men still dress up (some even wear suits every day), but I think we are trending toward comfort and less emphasis is placed on the way we present ourselves to others.
Right out of college, I was taught that when going to a job interview, a person should wear a suit and dress not for the position they are interviewing for, but for the boss' position. But then the first day on the job, they come in dressed "business casual" (define it how you wish), and look nothing like the polished person they interviewed. I confess I have done this very thing, and it's only now that it amuses me. What I mean to say is it seems like our society is heading towards doing just the bare minimum when it comes to making appearances (and they are not, as they say, everything), rather than making an assertive statement with our clothing and appearance day in and day out. I know I probably walk and carry myself differently when I'm wearing a suit or a cocktail dress than I do when I'm bumming around in pajamas. I imagine I'm not the only one.
There's nothing worse than walking into a place where you think the dress code is _______ (insert how you are currently dressed here) and finding out it is really _______ (insert 6 times nicer than you are dressed here). My sister recently regaled me with a horrific story (well, she was horrified) of attending a cocktail party hosted by new friends one evening. She walked in the door, cute as can be in a long sweater, jeans, and fun boots. Only when she walked in the door, there was not a pair of jeans to be seen. Everywhere she looked, there were ladies in cocktail dresses, men in suits - people were dressed to the nines. She told me the story the next day in church and said, in a mortified whisper, "Cathleen, I showed up in jeggings!"
While I'm quite sure my sister was still the belle of the ball, I think most of us can relate to the feeling of..."Uh-oh... I wish someone had told me this was a fancy party," or even, "How did I miss the memo?" And I think Amy's point is just that. You won't miss the memo if are always dressed up. I don't think this means prancing around the house in heels (at least, I haven't read that chapter yet!), but I do think it means dressing up a bit more than we're used to and taking a bit more pride in the way we present ourselves to the world. For me, it will mean thinking: "What am I going to wear?," then choosing an outfit and asking: "WWJD?" What would June do?
From what I gather, it's not just women who were to be meticulous in their clothing and appearance. Amy Vanderbilt has plenty to say about menswear and what was appropriate or not for a man to wear to the office. Her advice to men everywhere? Be prepared.
It is safer to be dressed for any business occasion that might occur than to go to the office in clothes that might be out of place if an important client should turn up or a vital meeting be called. The beloved rainy-day suit looks shabby when the sun comes out at noon, the old tweed jacket throws a man off stride if he's suddenly precipitated into a group of men wearing directors' jackets...(p. 141).
I love how she describes this dressing up in terms of being safe. I don't think many men today (or women, for that matter) would consider their choice of wardrobe based on a very important event that might take place that day. Back then, a jacket and tie was standard attire for a working man. Obviously, there are certain professions today in which men still dress up (some even wear suits every day), but I think we are trending toward comfort and less emphasis is placed on the way we present ourselves to others.
Right out of college, I was taught that when going to a job interview, a person should wear a suit and dress not for the position they are interviewing for, but for the boss' position. But then the first day on the job, they come in dressed "business casual" (define it how you wish), and look nothing like the polished person they interviewed. I confess I have done this very thing, and it's only now that it amuses me. What I mean to say is it seems like our society is heading towards doing just the bare minimum when it comes to making appearances (and they are not, as they say, everything), rather than making an assertive statement with our clothing and appearance day in and day out. I know I probably walk and carry myself differently when I'm wearing a suit or a cocktail dress than I do when I'm bumming around in pajamas. I imagine I'm not the only one.
There's nothing worse than walking into a place where you think the dress code is _______ (insert how you are currently dressed here) and finding out it is really _______ (insert 6 times nicer than you are dressed here). My sister recently regaled me with a horrific story (well, she was horrified) of attending a cocktail party hosted by new friends one evening. She walked in the door, cute as can be in a long sweater, jeans, and fun boots. Only when she walked in the door, there was not a pair of jeans to be seen. Everywhere she looked, there were ladies in cocktail dresses, men in suits - people were dressed to the nines. She told me the story the next day in church and said, in a mortified whisper, "Cathleen, I showed up in jeggings!"
While I'm quite sure my sister was still the belle of the ball, I think most of us can relate to the feeling of..."Uh-oh... I wish someone had told me this was a fancy party," or even, "How did I miss the memo?" And I think Amy's point is just that. You won't miss the memo if are always dressed up. I don't think this means prancing around the house in heels (at least, I haven't read that chapter yet!), but I do think it means dressing up a bit more than we're used to and taking a bit more pride in the way we present ourselves to the world. For me, it will mean thinking: "What am I going to wear?," then choosing an outfit and asking: "WWJD?" What would June do?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Grammy's Coming to Town!
Since my husband's parents are on their way to visit us this weekend, I thought it appropriate to study etiquette with in-laws. I have heard countless horror stories from my married friends about meddling mother-in-laws and worse...just plain mean ones. Part of me can't imagine that otherwise normal women become heinous witches once the bride and groom say "I do," so maybe it's also that the wives become a bit more sensitive. I get the whole dynamic of a son leaving his mom's home and starting a new one with his wife (who, in my husband's case is less of a cook and housekeeper than his mother) - and I guess it is difficult for some women to be ok with that.
I, however, have been fortunate to marry into a family that is loving, kind, and even reads my blog! They have accepted me with open arms, faults and all, and I can honestly say I feel like one of the family. Having been so lucky, I find it interesting that sometimes when I start a story with, "My husband's parents are coming to visit," friends will smile sympathetically, as if to say "you'll get through it." Then I rush to say "No, no, I'm very close with my in-laws actually." It's almost as if it's ingrained in our culture to be dramatic about this relationship, particularly with reference to mother-in-laws. I guess father-in-laws are just dudes who don't make much of a fuss about such things.
Amy Vanderbilt has this to say on growing up, moving out, and the formation of a new family:
When we marry, we literally must "forsake all others" and consider the marriage bond the paramount one. The whole process of growing up is that of growing away from one's parents in the physical sense, and to a great degree in the emotional one, too (p. 497).
I guess this makes sense. I remember how exciting it was to think about living with my husband and having a place of our own. For me, it couldn't happen soon enough. We dated for 5 years and had an 8 month engagement - and at the end I just couldn't wait to wake up every morning next to the man I love and my best friend in the world. I never stopped to think about what anyone else might be thinking or feeling about it. Least of all, our mothers.
I remember coming back from our honeymoon, expecting everything to be roses, and my mom told me my sister cried her eyes out the day after I got married. Not because she wasn't happy for me, but because she had a great sense of loss, that things would be different now - and certain things would never be the same. Never again would we live in the same house together. Looking back, I realize that's kind of a big deal. And I imagine if that's the way my sister felt, perhaps my mom and mother-in-law had a bit of that sentiment, too.
Where in-laws are to be considered, especially a mother-in-law who finds it difficult to relinquish hold on her child, the very first steps in the relationship are most important. A young son-in-law, for example, should not be made to feel like a culprit because he can't call this relatively strange and sometimes seemingly hostile older woman "mother."
I'm trying not to read too much into this, but perhaps Amy's husband had issue with the elder Mrs. Vanderbilt? I can honestly say my husband has a great relationship with my family. Also, there was never any question of what we would call each other's parents. When we were teenagers dating, it was "Mr. and Mrs." I think shortly before we were engaged it switched to calling them by their first names. And I love what Amy has to say about that:
Both she and her son-in-law might be more comfortable with the modern "Mrs. Brown" or just "Jane" as if she were a contemporary. Then when the children begin to arrive, a pet name usually solves everything, and "Mrs. Brown" or "Jane" becomes comfortable old "Nanny" or "Granny" or any other variation of a child's loving title for his grandmother to everyone in the household. And somehow with little hands in hers she feels less shut out, more needed in the new living arrangement, and she usually is" (p. 497).
I won't have the chance to ask our "Grammy" whether or not this is true until she arrives tomorrow, but I have a hunch Amy is once again correct. Grammy becomes almost giddy upon seeing her baby grandson, and when she holds him, it appears as though they're in their own little world, happy as clams. And for that matter, I'm fairly certain tension or drama simply cannot exist in a room where that baby boy is smiling.
See you tomorrow, Sherry! Safe travels!
I, however, have been fortunate to marry into a family that is loving, kind, and even reads my blog! They have accepted me with open arms, faults and all, and I can honestly say I feel like one of the family. Having been so lucky, I find it interesting that sometimes when I start a story with, "My husband's parents are coming to visit," friends will smile sympathetically, as if to say "you'll get through it." Then I rush to say "No, no, I'm very close with my in-laws actually." It's almost as if it's ingrained in our culture to be dramatic about this relationship, particularly with reference to mother-in-laws. I guess father-in-laws are just dudes who don't make much of a fuss about such things.
Amy Vanderbilt has this to say on growing up, moving out, and the formation of a new family:
When we marry, we literally must "forsake all others" and consider the marriage bond the paramount one. The whole process of growing up is that of growing away from one's parents in the physical sense, and to a great degree in the emotional one, too (p. 497).
I guess this makes sense. I remember how exciting it was to think about living with my husband and having a place of our own. For me, it couldn't happen soon enough. We dated for 5 years and had an 8 month engagement - and at the end I just couldn't wait to wake up every morning next to the man I love and my best friend in the world. I never stopped to think about what anyone else might be thinking or feeling about it. Least of all, our mothers.
I remember coming back from our honeymoon, expecting everything to be roses, and my mom told me my sister cried her eyes out the day after I got married. Not because she wasn't happy for me, but because she had a great sense of loss, that things would be different now - and certain things would never be the same. Never again would we live in the same house together. Looking back, I realize that's kind of a big deal. And I imagine if that's the way my sister felt, perhaps my mom and mother-in-law had a bit of that sentiment, too.
Where in-laws are to be considered, especially a mother-in-law who finds it difficult to relinquish hold on her child, the very first steps in the relationship are most important. A young son-in-law, for example, should not be made to feel like a culprit because he can't call this relatively strange and sometimes seemingly hostile older woman "mother."
I'm trying not to read too much into this, but perhaps Amy's husband had issue with the elder Mrs. Vanderbilt? I can honestly say my husband has a great relationship with my family. Also, there was never any question of what we would call each other's parents. When we were teenagers dating, it was "Mr. and Mrs." I think shortly before we were engaged it switched to calling them by their first names. And I love what Amy has to say about that:
Both she and her son-in-law might be more comfortable with the modern "Mrs. Brown" or just "Jane" as if she were a contemporary. Then when the children begin to arrive, a pet name usually solves everything, and "Mrs. Brown" or "Jane" becomes comfortable old "Nanny" or "Granny" or any other variation of a child's loving title for his grandmother to everyone in the household. And somehow with little hands in hers she feels less shut out, more needed in the new living arrangement, and she usually is" (p. 497).
I won't have the chance to ask our "Grammy" whether or not this is true until she arrives tomorrow, but I have a hunch Amy is once again correct. Grammy becomes almost giddy upon seeing her baby grandson, and when she holds him, it appears as though they're in their own little world, happy as clams. And for that matter, I'm fairly certain tension or drama simply cannot exist in a room where that baby boy is smiling.
See you tomorrow, Sherry! Safe travels!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Very Important Occasions
It dawned on me today that this Saturday, my little boy is going to be 9 months old. Such a far cry from the tiny little bundle we brought home from the hospital in May. He's now a wiggly, smiley, giggly boy and he brightens our life so much. I keep thinking about how time has flown so far (as my mother warned me it would) and that in only a few more months he will be a year old! Honestly, it doesn't seem possible that it's been almost a year - and at the same time, I can hardly remember what it was like not having him around. We are so blessed to have our little man.
A few of my friends have been asking if I am planning on throwing a birthday party for Josh on his big day. My response has always been, "No, we'll probably just invite the grandparents to come out and keep it simple." I just don't see the need to go crazy planning an elaborate birthday party for a one year old. However, I do think it is a day worth celebrating. And a hip 50's lady just so happens to agree with me.
In her book, Successful Entertaining at Home, Carolyn Coggins addresses the proper way to throw parties, get-togethers, barbecues, and just about everything else under the sun, including children's parties. Here's what she has to say on the matter:
Every child should have a birthday party every year - even if only one little friend is present - to make the child feel that this is a day of value to the family because on this date he became one of them.
I don't think there is any better way of putting it, really. What a thing to celebrate! My husband also says it is necessary to celebrate the fact that we kept a human alive for a whole year. And trust me, for as difficult as it was at the very beginning, that is a near miracle!
While Ms. Coggins gives several good suggestions for parties for older children, she also addresses the idea of a party for "little tykes":
Perhaps the best thing is not to give a party for babies, but many times young mothers like having parties for them - especially birthday parties. If you do this, then by all means be sure an adult is coming along to watch over her offspring. And limit your guest list to a few mothers with their toddlers. Then hope for the best.
I love that last part. She also suggests serving milkshakes in mugs with "cooky figures" (it took me a minute to figure out that she is referring to cookies, and not misspelling kooky) or "gingerbread boys." She says mothers might like a cake but cookies are easier for the kids to handle.
I think for now the plan is to invite some close family, but it will probably be a very small gathering. We'll have cake and some light refreshments, and just celebrate the year. I am planning on asking relatives to write a note to Josh in lieu of a gift. I want to collect all the notes and give them to him to open for his high school graduation. I hope that will be a special present for him when he becomes a man, and we have celebrated 18 years of life with him. I realize it will be here before I know it, and I fully intend to enjoy every minute.
A few of my friends have been asking if I am planning on throwing a birthday party for Josh on his big day. My response has always been, "No, we'll probably just invite the grandparents to come out and keep it simple." I just don't see the need to go crazy planning an elaborate birthday party for a one year old. However, I do think it is a day worth celebrating. And a hip 50's lady just so happens to agree with me.
In her book, Successful Entertaining at Home, Carolyn Coggins addresses the proper way to throw parties, get-togethers, barbecues, and just about everything else under the sun, including children's parties. Here's what she has to say on the matter:
Every child should have a birthday party every year - even if only one little friend is present - to make the child feel that this is a day of value to the family because on this date he became one of them.
I don't think there is any better way of putting it, really. What a thing to celebrate! My husband also says it is necessary to celebrate the fact that we kept a human alive for a whole year. And trust me, for as difficult as it was at the very beginning, that is a near miracle!
While Ms. Coggins gives several good suggestions for parties for older children, she also addresses the idea of a party for "little tykes":
Perhaps the best thing is not to give a party for babies, but many times young mothers like having parties for them - especially birthday parties. If you do this, then by all means be sure an adult is coming along to watch over her offspring. And limit your guest list to a few mothers with their toddlers. Then hope for the best.
I love that last part. She also suggests serving milkshakes in mugs with "cooky figures" (it took me a minute to figure out that she is referring to cookies, and not misspelling kooky) or "gingerbread boys." She says mothers might like a cake but cookies are easier for the kids to handle.
I think for now the plan is to invite some close family, but it will probably be a very small gathering. We'll have cake and some light refreshments, and just celebrate the year. I am planning on asking relatives to write a note to Josh in lieu of a gift. I want to collect all the notes and give them to him to open for his high school graduation. I hope that will be a special present for him when he becomes a man, and we have celebrated 18 years of life with him. I realize it will be here before I know it, and I fully intend to enjoy every minute.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
First Foray in 50's Dining
Well, I did it! I successfully made my very first 50's family dinner. I used a cookbook that Amy Vanderbilt specifically refers to in her book on gracious living. It's called Thoughts for Food and was authored by a group of women known only as "The Chicago Hostesses." The book's subtitle is: "A menu book and a cook book for those who like exceptional cooking." The book is divided into several sections including luncheons, family dinners, buffets, and many others. I suppose if it's good enough for Amy, it's good enough for us! And so I entered my first cooking experiment of the 1950's.
I pretty much randomly flipped to a page in the "Family Dinner" section of the cookbook and thought I would make whatever menu I landed on there. Tonight, we feasted on:
Ragout of Beef
Noodle Ring
Peas and Carrots
Pickled Tomatoes
Palatschinken (don't ask me to say it!)
Coffee
I'm going to include the recipe for the Ragout of Beef, in case anyone else out there is daring and would like to try what my husband and I both agreed was the best part of the meal.
Ragout of Beef
4 lbs. beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried mushrooms
2 large onions
1/2 cup poultry fat or butter
2 bay leaves
2 sliced bermuda onions
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
salt
pepper
paprika
flour
1/2 teaspoon kitchen bouquet
Soak dried mushrooms overnight. Brown onions in fat. Add meat, dried mushrooms, and the water in which they were soaked, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for an hour. Add remaining vegetables, season and simmer until the meat is tender. Thicken gravy with flour blended with water and kitchen bouquet.
And that's all, folks. But notice with me the complete lack of explicit instructions. How much paprika? How much flour? What exactly is a kitchen bouquet?! I'm used to today's recipes, where each and every tiny detail is spelled out clearly for me. Here, I'm told simply to "add the water in which the mushrooms were soaked" - but it never says exactly how much water to soak them in in the first place...what if I make it too soupy? Or too thick? I can honestly say I've never eaten ragout of beef before, so I have no idea what it's supposed to look or taste like. I filled a small bowl with water, soaked the mushrooms, poured it all in, and thought...I truly have no idea what I'm doing here.
I will spare you all the details on what it took to prepare a 5 course dinner after an 8 and a half hour work day and a 45 minute commute. Not to mention feeding my baby and getting him ready for bed when I got home. Dinner was on the table at 8:00. We normally eat around 6:30. I called my mom halfway through making it and wondered aloud how the heck women in the 50's managed all this. And she hit me with it: " They didn't work!!" Duh. Hopefully this is the last week I will have to wonder such things.
The highlights of the dinner preparation were: my feet actually hurting from being on them all day and then cooking for 2 hours, reading and re-reading the recipes for each menu item and wondering if I have a Master's degree, shouldn't I be able to do this with a bit more ease?, and turning the noodle ring into a "noodle loaf" because my kitchen is not stocked with a "ring mold." I knew the lady we registered for wedding gifts with at Crate and Barrel was forgetting something!
Some quotes from my husband as we dined:
"I'm a little concerned that these 50's dinners are going to have a high cost to enjoyment ratio."
(It's true, all of these recipes made an enormous amount of food. I did not make 4 lbs. of beef for the two of us - I used 1.30 lbs. but still there will be ragout leftovers for days).
"This noodle thing is terrible."
I think that one's my personal favorite. I was not at all offended because I a) asked for his completely honest opinion, b) I was not the noodle loaf/ring's biggest fan either and c) if it was me coming up with a way to serve noodles, I can pretty much guarantee neither ring nor loaf would be involved.
It was definitely an interesting meal, and just fun to experiment. My poor husband asked at the end of the meal, "So, how often are we going to be dining from the 50's?" Only time will tell.
I pretty much randomly flipped to a page in the "Family Dinner" section of the cookbook and thought I would make whatever menu I landed on there. Tonight, we feasted on:
Ragout of Beef
Noodle Ring
Peas and Carrots
Pickled Tomatoes
Palatschinken (don't ask me to say it!)
Coffee
I'm going to include the recipe for the Ragout of Beef, in case anyone else out there is daring and would like to try what my husband and I both agreed was the best part of the meal.
Ragout of Beef
4 lbs. beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried mushrooms
2 large onions
1/2 cup poultry fat or butter
2 bay leaves
2 sliced bermuda onions
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
salt
pepper
paprika
flour
1/2 teaspoon kitchen bouquet
Soak dried mushrooms overnight. Brown onions in fat. Add meat, dried mushrooms, and the water in which they were soaked, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for an hour. Add remaining vegetables, season and simmer until the meat is tender. Thicken gravy with flour blended with water and kitchen bouquet.
And that's all, folks. But notice with me the complete lack of explicit instructions. How much paprika? How much flour? What exactly is a kitchen bouquet?! I'm used to today's recipes, where each and every tiny detail is spelled out clearly for me. Here, I'm told simply to "add the water in which the mushrooms were soaked" - but it never says exactly how much water to soak them in in the first place...what if I make it too soupy? Or too thick? I can honestly say I've never eaten ragout of beef before, so I have no idea what it's supposed to look or taste like. I filled a small bowl with water, soaked the mushrooms, poured it all in, and thought...I truly have no idea what I'm doing here.
I will spare you all the details on what it took to prepare a 5 course dinner after an 8 and a half hour work day and a 45 minute commute. Not to mention feeding my baby and getting him ready for bed when I got home. Dinner was on the table at 8:00. We normally eat around 6:30. I called my mom halfway through making it and wondered aloud how the heck women in the 50's managed all this. And she hit me with it: " They didn't work!!" Duh. Hopefully this is the last week I will have to wonder such things.
The highlights of the dinner preparation were: my feet actually hurting from being on them all day and then cooking for 2 hours, reading and re-reading the recipes for each menu item and wondering if I have a Master's degree, shouldn't I be able to do this with a bit more ease?, and turning the noodle ring into a "noodle loaf" because my kitchen is not stocked with a "ring mold." I knew the lady we registered for wedding gifts with at Crate and Barrel was forgetting something!
Some quotes from my husband as we dined:
"I'm a little concerned that these 50's dinners are going to have a high cost to enjoyment ratio."
(It's true, all of these recipes made an enormous amount of food. I did not make 4 lbs. of beef for the two of us - I used 1.30 lbs. but still there will be ragout leftovers for days).
"This noodle thing is terrible."
I think that one's my personal favorite. I was not at all offended because I a) asked for his completely honest opinion, b) I was not the noodle loaf/ring's biggest fan either and c) if it was me coming up with a way to serve noodles, I can pretty much guarantee neither ring nor loaf would be involved.
It was definitely an interesting meal, and just fun to experiment. My poor husband asked at the end of the meal, "So, how often are we going to be dining from the 50's?" Only time will tell.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Under Pressure
I headed back to the Good Housekeeping Guide to Successful Home Management today in search of a topic I don't know much about. There was a ton to choose from, but one heading at the top of page 109 happened to catch my eye today. There, in big, bold letters, I read:
PRESSURE COOKERS.
Now I know I have heard of pressure cookers, but that's about the exent of my knowledge on the subject. I never saw my mom use one - or anyone else for that matter. What are they for? Even my husband, who is usually a wealth of knowledge on just about any subject was reduced to a mere: "It's probably used for cooking things...under lots of pressure." Good call.
My trusty 1950's guide unfortunately assumes that I already have some base knowledge about such things. Wrong. It gives what I'm sure is good advice for using a pressure cooker, but no real explanation as to why I should even have one in my kitchen. For that matter, I'm not even sure I could buy one in a store if I wanted one. (My ever-frugal husband did a quick Google-search at the mention of this, and informed me that you can buy pressure cookers, but we can't because they cost $80 or more).
From what I gather (thank you, Wikipedia), people use pressure cookers to save time boiling food - and it uses less water also. In addition, the water in a pressure cooker is much hotter than the boiling point of water, making it an effective method of germ-killing. People often use it for canning (I would love to try this some day, but first I have to learn how to grow something...and keep it alive long enough to harvest it. Sigh. My thumb is perpetually brown).
Canning is also something that Good Housekeeping reports on with a solemn warning:
Unless you use a pressure cooker in canning non-acid vegetables at home you cannot be sure you are not exposing your family to the death-dealing hazards of botulinus poisoning. Botulism, or botulinus food poisoning, is one of the deadliest of diseases. Statistics show that two out of three of its victims die.
If botulinus bacteria are not killed in the canning process, they create a poision that is certain death to almost all who swallow it.
Oh yeah, now that really makes me want to try canning. I mean, clearly the pressure cooker is the way to do it safely - but knowing me, I would mess it up and send my family straight to the ER. Maybe I can just take a field trip to someone's house some day who is a master-canner and they could teach me how to do it safely, without the threat of certain death for my loved ones. Geez, I was nervous enough making homemade baby food for my son...I would probably be in a cold sweat the whole time if I tried something so much riskier! For now, I think I'll leave this to the professionals. And if I do add a pressure cooker to my wish list, I promise to use it only for simple things like cooking pasta and vegetables.
Until I get my hands on said pressure cooker, I fully intend to enjoy lots of other kinds of cooking methods...namely going out for a lavish Valentine's Day dinner with my husband tonight. We got a ridiculously generous gift card to a ridiculously swanky restaurant (that we could never afford otherwise) from my ridiculously sweet aunts. Here's to love and lovers everywhere - I'll be toasting the town in high style tonight. Thus far, that remains my favorite method of cooking!
PRESSURE COOKERS.
Now I know I have heard of pressure cookers, but that's about the exent of my knowledge on the subject. I never saw my mom use one - or anyone else for that matter. What are they for? Even my husband, who is usually a wealth of knowledge on just about any subject was reduced to a mere: "It's probably used for cooking things...under lots of pressure." Good call.
My trusty 1950's guide unfortunately assumes that I already have some base knowledge about such things. Wrong. It gives what I'm sure is good advice for using a pressure cooker, but no real explanation as to why I should even have one in my kitchen. For that matter, I'm not even sure I could buy one in a store if I wanted one. (My ever-frugal husband did a quick Google-search at the mention of this, and informed me that you can buy pressure cookers, but we can't because they cost $80 or more).
From what I gather (thank you, Wikipedia), people use pressure cookers to save time boiling food - and it uses less water also. In addition, the water in a pressure cooker is much hotter than the boiling point of water, making it an effective method of germ-killing. People often use it for canning (I would love to try this some day, but first I have to learn how to grow something...and keep it alive long enough to harvest it. Sigh. My thumb is perpetually brown).
Canning is also something that Good Housekeeping reports on with a solemn warning:
Unless you use a pressure cooker in canning non-acid vegetables at home you cannot be sure you are not exposing your family to the death-dealing hazards of botulinus poisoning. Botulism, or botulinus food poisoning, is one of the deadliest of diseases. Statistics show that two out of three of its victims die.
If botulinus bacteria are not killed in the canning process, they create a poision that is certain death to almost all who swallow it.
Oh yeah, now that really makes me want to try canning. I mean, clearly the pressure cooker is the way to do it safely - but knowing me, I would mess it up and send my family straight to the ER. Maybe I can just take a field trip to someone's house some day who is a master-canner and they could teach me how to do it safely, without the threat of certain death for my loved ones. Geez, I was nervous enough making homemade baby food for my son...I would probably be in a cold sweat the whole time if I tried something so much riskier! For now, I think I'll leave this to the professionals. And if I do add a pressure cooker to my wish list, I promise to use it only for simple things like cooking pasta and vegetables.
Until I get my hands on said pressure cooker, I fully intend to enjoy lots of other kinds of cooking methods...namely going out for a lavish Valentine's Day dinner with my husband tonight. We got a ridiculously generous gift card to a ridiculously swanky restaurant (that we could never afford otherwise) from my ridiculously sweet aunts. Here's to love and lovers everywhere - I'll be toasting the town in high style tonight. Thus far, that remains my favorite method of cooking!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Extreme Makeover: Closet Edition
I know I have let my blogging go somewhat by the wayside due to...well, life. I don't want to be a whiner, but last week...something just had to give! Trust me, I would much rather be blogging about my escapades in 50's housewifery than learning therapeutic holds for patients having a psychotic episode, but you can't always get what you want.
Though today is Sunday and I had company this weekend, I felt the urge to get back to the 50's with a project. My Good Housekeeping Guide to Successful Home Management was practically taunting me from my bedside table - a beast of a book, 316 pages long...roughly the size of an encyclopedia. And not an obscure letter volume either - no, it's definitely of M or R proportions- none of that Q or Z nonsense.
Flipping through this monstrosity, I came to the section on "Clothes Storage." Immediately, a light bulb went off in my head. My closet is a disaster. Honestly, it's a part of the house that no one sees so I have just been constantly putting off the task of organizing it for some time. Also, our house is SUPER SMALL, and so goes the house, so goes the closet. However, it's rather unfair of me to keep the closet messy when it's part of the room I share with my husband. He deserves better than to have to take his life in his hands when he gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Because you see, my closet tends to spill out into the entirety of the bedroom, spewing out clothes, shoes, and accessories onto the little floor space we have. It's not pretty, folks.
Good Housekeeping reccomended a few pointers for closet organization which I carefully took notes on prior to beginning the project. This will come as no surprise to those of you who know me well; those who don't should be aware from this point on that I am a chronic list-maker, planner, and organizer. I could have simply referred to the open book on my bed, but no, I wanted my own notes to reference. The tips I found most helpful are as follows:
1. The first step in reorganizing a closet is to find out just how much cubic space you have to work with. Measure the height of your existing shelves, the width, depth, and the height of the closet, the width and height of your door.
Measuring? I really don't do measuring. Frankly, they lost me at "cubic space." It's really rather pathetic how much I loathe calculations of any kind. Lucky for me, I married a mathematician. Lucky for him, I decided to skip this step and call it an even "quite small."
2. A closet hang rod that is too high will be difficult to reach and wasteful of space. If too low, hems drag on the floor.
Well these rods were hung by the previous owners of the house, and far be it for me to destroy someone else's handiwork. For a project that can be handled in one afternoon, I left the rods as they were. This does not mean that the nasty black color the previous owners painted the closet door will remain. Come spring those babies are taking a trip out to our deck to be painted a lovely, simple beige.
3. Crowding damages clothes. Pushing and pulling to extricate one garment from a hard-to-reach spot means strain and wrinkles for all the others.
No kidding! I have known for quite some time that the major problem of my closet is that it is entirely too crowded. I have been telling my husband since December that I plan on having a garage sale in May - today I began my inventory of what will stay and what will go. I was proud of myself, because though I am usually a pack rat, I know in my heart June Cleaver would never approve of the current state of my closet. And who am I kidding, after having a baby, my body is just not the same as it was in high school. Enough said.
4. Closet accessories are so ingeniously and attractively designed today that your closets can look as delightful as the rest of your home, and harmonize perfectly with the rooms they adjoin.
This just makes me want to run out to Bed Bath and Beyond or California Closests and buy, buy, buy. But, since Mama hasn't gotten a paycheck yet, that will have to wait. I really want a shoe organizer for over my bedroom door - God knows how many times my husband has almost sprained his ankle because of a stray heel or boot.
Until my paychecks start rolling in, I had to make do with what I have. I sorted out tons of clothes that I won't wear anymore and put them in a storage bin until our big garage sale. I put my summer shorts, skirts, and capris in a pile for my husband to store in the attic (or maybe under our bed) until spring. I neatly put my "winter shoes" at the bottom of my closet in rows (2 rows of 4 - do you even know how hard it was to decide on eight pairs of shoes to last me through the rest of winter?!). My cardigans, button-down shirts, dresses, and winter skirts are neatly hung on their appropriate hooks. Sweaters are folded neatly on the shelves. My closet is starting to look more like a department store than a disgraceful mess. Victory!
That's when my husband comes in the door from running errands. "Look!" I say. "My closet is totally organized and neat like in the 1950's!"
He looks midly amused.
"The thing is...I still need to clean the rest of the room, so...hopefully that will happen sometime this week..."
I can see him fighting the eye roll, and instead he smiles.
Seriously, we've been together for 10 and a half years. What did he expect?
Though today is Sunday and I had company this weekend, I felt the urge to get back to the 50's with a project. My Good Housekeeping Guide to Successful Home Management was practically taunting me from my bedside table - a beast of a book, 316 pages long...roughly the size of an encyclopedia. And not an obscure letter volume either - no, it's definitely of M or R proportions- none of that Q or Z nonsense.
Flipping through this monstrosity, I came to the section on "Clothes Storage." Immediately, a light bulb went off in my head. My closet is a disaster. Honestly, it's a part of the house that no one sees so I have just been constantly putting off the task of organizing it for some time. Also, our house is SUPER SMALL, and so goes the house, so goes the closet. However, it's rather unfair of me to keep the closet messy when it's part of the room I share with my husband. He deserves better than to have to take his life in his hands when he gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Because you see, my closet tends to spill out into the entirety of the bedroom, spewing out clothes, shoes, and accessories onto the little floor space we have. It's not pretty, folks.
Good Housekeeping reccomended a few pointers for closet organization which I carefully took notes on prior to beginning the project. This will come as no surprise to those of you who know me well; those who don't should be aware from this point on that I am a chronic list-maker, planner, and organizer. I could have simply referred to the open book on my bed, but no, I wanted my own notes to reference. The tips I found most helpful are as follows:
1. The first step in reorganizing a closet is to find out just how much cubic space you have to work with. Measure the height of your existing shelves, the width, depth, and the height of the closet, the width and height of your door.
Measuring? I really don't do measuring. Frankly, they lost me at "cubic space." It's really rather pathetic how much I loathe calculations of any kind. Lucky for me, I married a mathematician. Lucky for him, I decided to skip this step and call it an even "quite small."
2. A closet hang rod that is too high will be difficult to reach and wasteful of space. If too low, hems drag on the floor.
Well these rods were hung by the previous owners of the house, and far be it for me to destroy someone else's handiwork. For a project that can be handled in one afternoon, I left the rods as they were. This does not mean that the nasty black color the previous owners painted the closet door will remain. Come spring those babies are taking a trip out to our deck to be painted a lovely, simple beige.
3. Crowding damages clothes. Pushing and pulling to extricate one garment from a hard-to-reach spot means strain and wrinkles for all the others.
No kidding! I have known for quite some time that the major problem of my closet is that it is entirely too crowded. I have been telling my husband since December that I plan on having a garage sale in May - today I began my inventory of what will stay and what will go. I was proud of myself, because though I am usually a pack rat, I know in my heart June Cleaver would never approve of the current state of my closet. And who am I kidding, after having a baby, my body is just not the same as it was in high school. Enough said.
4. Closet accessories are so ingeniously and attractively designed today that your closets can look as delightful as the rest of your home, and harmonize perfectly with the rooms they adjoin.
This just makes me want to run out to Bed Bath and Beyond or California Closests and buy, buy, buy. But, since Mama hasn't gotten a paycheck yet, that will have to wait. I really want a shoe organizer for over my bedroom door - God knows how many times my husband has almost sprained his ankle because of a stray heel or boot.
Until my paychecks start rolling in, I had to make do with what I have. I sorted out tons of clothes that I won't wear anymore and put them in a storage bin until our big garage sale. I put my summer shorts, skirts, and capris in a pile for my husband to store in the attic (or maybe under our bed) until spring. I neatly put my "winter shoes" at the bottom of my closet in rows (2 rows of 4 - do you even know how hard it was to decide on eight pairs of shoes to last me through the rest of winter?!). My cardigans, button-down shirts, dresses, and winter skirts are neatly hung on their appropriate hooks. Sweaters are folded neatly on the shelves. My closet is starting to look more like a department store than a disgraceful mess. Victory!
That's when my husband comes in the door from running errands. "Look!" I say. "My closet is totally organized and neat like in the 1950's!"
He looks midly amused.
"The thing is...I still need to clean the rest of the room, so...hopefully that will happen sometime this week..."
I can see him fighting the eye roll, and instead he smiles.
Seriously, we've been together for 10 and a half years. What did he expect?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Being Totally Honest
Well, if I'm being totally honest (and I promise I always will be), this week has been very un-50's-like. Usually, I'm a stay at home mom, which makes the art of trying to live as a 1950's era housewife not only possible, but at times even enjoyable. However, this week I started a new job which will allow me to work part time on the weekends after a week long 8:30 - 5 orientation period. Ugh. I have been completely and utterly spent at the end of each day so far (and, God help me, it's only Wednesday!). I have a whole new appreciation for working moms everywhere, as well as a whole new confirmation that the working mom thing just isn't for me. I've been missing my sweet baby boy like crazy, the house has never looked less like the 1950's (actually, it more closely resembles my early 2000s-era college apartment), and my husband is having a hard time dealing with my crazy emotions stemming from too little sleep, information overload, and just plain hormones!
Today, the scene my husband found when he walked through the door after a hard day's work was anything but 50's-like. Instead of his wife in an attractive outfit, hair and makeup done (as it was hours before at work), he found me in pajamas...his pajamas...with a glass of wine in my hand, talking on the phone. House a mess, dinner not cooked...he just laughed, shook his head and said "I like your outfit." I had to laugh too.
Before he came home, my mom and I had a glass of wine and perused my 1950's book collection, laughing at all the hilarious things that are in them...and I whined about things like where I would ever find a rabbit to cook, that I didn't want to cook frog legs, and how the heck do you use a needle and thread to sew up a beef heart when you can hardly sew on a button, to mention a few. I promise to write on these and many other adventures, culinary and otherwise in the near future. I just have to get this crazy week of working under my belt first.
Until my 1950's escapades can fully continue, I will regale you with the last bit of Amy Vanderbilt's suggested morning cleaning routine:
After beds are made and bedrooms tidied, bathrooms are cleaned and put in order, then the living room tidied (if this was not done the night before). Now with everything in order, dishes washed and beds made, dusting and floors come last (p.377).
Wait, she doesn't mean dusting and doing floors in every room, does she? Clearly, she did not have children. I guess I'm just going to have to be creative about cleaning the 1950's way in 2011. I wonder if my little one would be so kind as to learn to crawl with a dust mop attached to his belly...then we'd really be in business!
Today, the scene my husband found when he walked through the door after a hard day's work was anything but 50's-like. Instead of his wife in an attractive outfit, hair and makeup done (as it was hours before at work), he found me in pajamas...his pajamas...with a glass of wine in my hand, talking on the phone. House a mess, dinner not cooked...he just laughed, shook his head and said "I like your outfit." I had to laugh too.
Before he came home, my mom and I had a glass of wine and perused my 1950's book collection, laughing at all the hilarious things that are in them...and I whined about things like where I would ever find a rabbit to cook, that I didn't want to cook frog legs, and how the heck do you use a needle and thread to sew up a beef heart when you can hardly sew on a button, to mention a few. I promise to write on these and many other adventures, culinary and otherwise in the near future. I just have to get this crazy week of working under my belt first.
Until my 1950's escapades can fully continue, I will regale you with the last bit of Amy Vanderbilt's suggested morning cleaning routine:
After beds are made and bedrooms tidied, bathrooms are cleaned and put in order, then the living room tidied (if this was not done the night before). Now with everything in order, dishes washed and beds made, dusting and floors come last (p.377).
Wait, she doesn't mean dusting and doing floors in every room, does she? Clearly, she did not have children. I guess I'm just going to have to be creative about cleaning the 1950's way in 2011. I wonder if my little one would be so kind as to learn to crawl with a dust mop attached to his belly...then we'd really be in business!
Monday, February 7, 2011
What We Call Progress
Throughout her musings on the daily housekeeping routine, Amy Vanderbilt places households into one of two categories: one with servants and one without. I can't imagine Amy ran a house devoid of help, but apparently, having an entire staff of help was just as much work as not (I'm still not buying it). Just for fun, here are some of the people who may or may not have been employed by Ms. Vanderbilt, as well as a bit about their job description.
The Butler: Where there is no housekeeper, the butler is in charge of all servants and is the household's major executive. (The big cheese, the head honcho, the big kahuna. You get the idea.)
The Valet: Keeps his employer's clothes in order, does personal shopping, keeps shoes shined, and every clothing item clean and in repair. (Today, the valet has been replaced by LLBean.com and the shoe shine guys at the airport.)
The Chauffeur: Usually on seven-day duty, on call day or night. He is expected to do more than drive cars and care for them; he usually doubles as a butler or gardener. (Today the chauffeur has been replaced also - her name is mom.)
The list goes on, my friends, to include the housekeeper, the companion (someone who is a good conversationalist, a good reader, and enjoys parlor games - Mom, are you still looking for a job?), the social secretary, the cook, the lady's maid (she draws the baths for, lays clothes out for, and helps the ladies of the household dress), and the chambermaid.
Amidst the economic recession our country has been faced with of late, I sheepishly admit: Ours is a household without servants. Well, actually, we have all of those things - my husband and I. And while he holds down full-time paid employment, many of the aforementioned tasks fall to me.
But never fear; Amy has advice for managing the "servantless household" as she calls it. Continuing on from the last post about laundry, she explains the next part of the morning routine as follows:
As the kitchen is the heart of the house, it should never be left untidy while other chores get prior attention in the morning. The best plan is to finish the kitchen first, then proceed to bedmaking, if it is not possible for each member of the family to air and straighten his own room and make his bed before reporting to breakfast (the ideal arrangement in a servantless household) (p. 377).
In my household, it is definitely not possible for my husband to make the bed before reporting to breakfast. Trust me, it's just not. Plus, I don't want him late for work in the mornings to
"air and straighten" our room - what would June think of that?! My little one, being 8 months old...well, looks like mom will take care of his room, too!
I don't know if we've reached "the ideal arrangment" for our servantless household yet, but we're getting there. Just the other day when my husband came home from work, the first thing he said was, "Hey babe...the place looks great!" And he invited me to join him in front of Sports Center for breakfast. Now that, my friends, is what we call progress!
The Butler: Where there is no housekeeper, the butler is in charge of all servants and is the household's major executive. (The big cheese, the head honcho, the big kahuna. You get the idea.)
The Valet: Keeps his employer's clothes in order, does personal shopping, keeps shoes shined, and every clothing item clean and in repair. (Today, the valet has been replaced by LLBean.com and the shoe shine guys at the airport.)
The Chauffeur: Usually on seven-day duty, on call day or night. He is expected to do more than drive cars and care for them; he usually doubles as a butler or gardener. (Today the chauffeur has been replaced also - her name is mom.)
The list goes on, my friends, to include the housekeeper, the companion (someone who is a good conversationalist, a good reader, and enjoys parlor games - Mom, are you still looking for a job?), the social secretary, the cook, the lady's maid (she draws the baths for, lays clothes out for, and helps the ladies of the household dress), and the chambermaid.
Amidst the economic recession our country has been faced with of late, I sheepishly admit: Ours is a household without servants. Well, actually, we have all of those things - my husband and I. And while he holds down full-time paid employment, many of the aforementioned tasks fall to me.
But never fear; Amy has advice for managing the "servantless household" as she calls it. Continuing on from the last post about laundry, she explains the next part of the morning routine as follows:
As the kitchen is the heart of the house, it should never be left untidy while other chores get prior attention in the morning. The best plan is to finish the kitchen first, then proceed to bedmaking, if it is not possible for each member of the family to air and straighten his own room and make his bed before reporting to breakfast (the ideal arrangement in a servantless household) (p. 377).
In my household, it is definitely not possible for my husband to make the bed before reporting to breakfast. Trust me, it's just not. Plus, I don't want him late for work in the mornings to
"air and straighten" our room - what would June think of that?! My little one, being 8 months old...well, looks like mom will take care of his room, too!
I don't know if we've reached "the ideal arrangment" for our servantless household yet, but we're getting there. Just the other day when my husband came home from work, the first thing he said was, "Hey babe...the place looks great!" And he invited me to join him in front of Sports Center for breakfast. Now that, my friends, is what we call progress!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Laundry, the Good Old Fashioned Way
I always thought that women in the 50's had a pretty routine way of divvying up their work for the week. I bet many women could even recite the same work schedule, or some variation of it - it's what their mothers and grandmothers did. The one I'm familiar with goes like this:
Monday: Wash day
Tuesday: Ironing day
Wednesday: Sewing day
Thursday: Market day
Friday: Cleaning day
Saturday: Baking day
Sunday: Day of rest
Please understand that I could definitely be making this up...I don't have a source on this, I just thought that's how they did things back then. Maybe I heard it from my mom or read it somewhere and just liked the idea of it. Most likely, I saw that cleaning was only one day of the week and a whole day was dedicated to rest and thought: what a great idea!
Well, Ms. Vanderbilt has recently informed me otherwise, and as much as I long to hold fast to the work schedule I like, that's not the 50's way of doing it...and besides, what would June think of me if I were to cheat? Tisk, tisk. So I'm trading my ways for those of Amy once again. On the subject of laundry, she writes:
First chore after breakfast is over, is to load and start the washing machine.
It takes approximately 25 minutes for 1 load of wash to run through an automatic laundry.
FALSE. I'm going to have to stop you right there, Am-ster. My "normal" cycle takes 54 minutes...so now I'm wondering was anything really getting clean back in the day or are we just wasting an ungodly amount of time and water with our new-fangled washing contraptions?
And if laundry is done at home, it is easier to do some laundry each day than to allow it to collect so that a whole morning must be devoted to the laundry project.
Alright, alright I get the picture. Some laundry every day. Got it. Ugh, that probably means there's goign to be some cleaning every day, too, doesn't it? By now you're getting the picture I wasn't a born homemaker!
If there are hanging facilities in the cellar or elsewhere, it is not necessary to wait for sunshine. In large households where there is insufficient indoor drying space it is often a great saving of work to have an electric or gas clothes dryer (p. 377).
Now that's good news! For a minute there, I thought we were going to have a real problem. Waiting for sunshine, especially in the Northeast, especially in February, especially in the snowiest winter on record was just not going to happen. Although I do like the idea of a clothes-line outside in the spring and summer.
However, even Amy agrees (thank you Amy, and also...God) that the easiest way to dry clothes is with a good old-fashioned electric clothes dryer. Or new-fashioned. Or whatever...
Monday: Wash day
Tuesday: Ironing day
Wednesday: Sewing day
Thursday: Market day
Friday: Cleaning day
Saturday: Baking day
Sunday: Day of rest
Please understand that I could definitely be making this up...I don't have a source on this, I just thought that's how they did things back then. Maybe I heard it from my mom or read it somewhere and just liked the idea of it. Most likely, I saw that cleaning was only one day of the week and a whole day was dedicated to rest and thought: what a great idea!
Well, Ms. Vanderbilt has recently informed me otherwise, and as much as I long to hold fast to the work schedule I like, that's not the 50's way of doing it...and besides, what would June think of me if I were to cheat? Tisk, tisk. So I'm trading my ways for those of Amy once again. On the subject of laundry, she writes:
First chore after breakfast is over, is to load and start the washing machine.
It takes approximately 25 minutes for 1 load of wash to run through an automatic laundry.
FALSE. I'm going to have to stop you right there, Am-ster. My "normal" cycle takes 54 minutes...so now I'm wondering was anything really getting clean back in the day or are we just wasting an ungodly amount of time and water with our new-fangled washing contraptions?
And if laundry is done at home, it is easier to do some laundry each day than to allow it to collect so that a whole morning must be devoted to the laundry project.
Alright, alright I get the picture. Some laundry every day. Got it. Ugh, that probably means there's goign to be some cleaning every day, too, doesn't it? By now you're getting the picture I wasn't a born homemaker!
If there are hanging facilities in the cellar or elsewhere, it is not necessary to wait for sunshine. In large households where there is insufficient indoor drying space it is often a great saving of work to have an electric or gas clothes dryer (p. 377).
Now that's good news! For a minute there, I thought we were going to have a real problem. Waiting for sunshine, especially in the Northeast, especially in February, especially in the snowiest winter on record was just not going to happen. Although I do like the idea of a clothes-line outside in the spring and summer.
However, even Amy agrees (thank you Amy, and also...God) that the easiest way to dry clothes is with a good old-fashioned electric clothes dryer. Or new-fashioned. Or whatever...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Lesson 1: Establish a Routine
As my quest to become a "June Cleaverish" housewife continues, I soon realize I am going to have to be organized about this or it's just not going to work. Fortunately, I have a mini-library of 50's books to help me with this task. After reading what a few of them have to say, I actually found that Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etitquette (A Guide to Gracious Living) offers the best advice about organizing the household tasks into a daily routine. Kudos, Amy - I wouldn't have expected a Vanderbilt to have more to say on housekeeping than the editors of Good Housekeeping, but then that just goes to show you you can't judge a housekeeper by her family name. I will be more than happy to share Ms. Vanderbilt's opinions on such things with you, but I think it will be best to break it up over the course of a few days so that nothing is lost and we can all take our time truly appreciating what she has to say. That, and it's going to take me at least a few days to get this all down. I hope Ms. Vanderbilt would find me a promising student.
The whole family should be urged to arise early enough for a leisurely start on the day. There should be time for father's second cup of coffee, his pleasant walk to the station, his morning romp with the baby. If mother is to become family chauffeur, breakfast should be eaten by all at the same time so she has a regular, peaceful meal, too, and time to clear away the dishes, if not perhaps to wash them, before taking father to his train or the children to school (p.377).
Ok, here's the thing about that: my dear husband, or "father" as he is referred to by Amy, sincerely loathes mornings. His preferred method of "starting the day" is anything but leisurely. He wakes up, hits the snooze, "sleeps" for 7 or 9 more minutes...whatever the darn alarm does, then proceeds to eat his Froot Loops in front of ESPN before he finishes getting ready for work, grabs his briefcase and scoots out the door.
Hmm...what to do, what to do. So this morning, determined to have a leisurely breakfast together, I wake up, feed the baby, and I'm feeling pretty good about this. The school called last night to say today would be a 2-hour delay due to icy roads, so I think I have a pretty good shot, at least this morning, of doing the breakfast deal.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I casually asked father what he would like for breakfast (since I hadn't been to the grocery store yet this week, there was not a Loop to be found in the house) upon his arising. I placed his lemon-raspberry muffins (homemade, I might add!) and orange juice with a napkin on the table next to my multi-grain cheerios and white grape juice. And what does the man do?! He comes right in for breakfast, grabs his muffins and plops himself right down in front of Sports Center! I mean, I know not much has happened between dinner last night and breakfast this morning, but how is it he's so very certain I don't have something to say that could rival the latest news in sports?
Other than that, father doesn't drink coffee, he doesn't take the train, so needless to say he doesn't walk to the station. He did give our baby kisses and hug before he left, as he does every morning - so we'll call that a romp or in the neighborhood of a romp. He also managed to trek across the tundra that is our front walk out to the car in one piece and make it to work on time - a near miracle if you've missed the weather reports lately.
It appears I might have to be a little more vocal about what is required of a 50's husband in the future...great. I can practically see the eye-rolls and hear the heavy sighs now!
The whole family should be urged to arise early enough for a leisurely start on the day. There should be time for father's second cup of coffee, his pleasant walk to the station, his morning romp with the baby. If mother is to become family chauffeur, breakfast should be eaten by all at the same time so she has a regular, peaceful meal, too, and time to clear away the dishes, if not perhaps to wash them, before taking father to his train or the children to school (p.377).
Ok, here's the thing about that: my dear husband, or "father" as he is referred to by Amy, sincerely loathes mornings. His preferred method of "starting the day" is anything but leisurely. He wakes up, hits the snooze, "sleeps" for 7 or 9 more minutes...whatever the darn alarm does, then proceeds to eat his Froot Loops in front of ESPN before he finishes getting ready for work, grabs his briefcase and scoots out the door.
Hmm...what to do, what to do. So this morning, determined to have a leisurely breakfast together, I wake up, feed the baby, and I'm feeling pretty good about this. The school called last night to say today would be a 2-hour delay due to icy roads, so I think I have a pretty good shot, at least this morning, of doing the breakfast deal.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I casually asked father what he would like for breakfast (since I hadn't been to the grocery store yet this week, there was not a Loop to be found in the house) upon his arising. I placed his lemon-raspberry muffins (homemade, I might add!) and orange juice with a napkin on the table next to my multi-grain cheerios and white grape juice. And what does the man do?! He comes right in for breakfast, grabs his muffins and plops himself right down in front of Sports Center! I mean, I know not much has happened between dinner last night and breakfast this morning, but how is it he's so very certain I don't have something to say that could rival the latest news in sports?
Other than that, father doesn't drink coffee, he doesn't take the train, so needless to say he doesn't walk to the station. He did give our baby kisses and hug before he left, as he does every morning - so we'll call that a romp or in the neighborhood of a romp. He also managed to trek across the tundra that is our front walk out to the car in one piece and make it to work on time - a near miracle if you've missed the weather reports lately.
It appears I might have to be a little more vocal about what is required of a 50's husband in the future...great. I can practically see the eye-rolls and hear the heavy sighs now!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Groundhog's Day, 1954
In honor of this momentous day, I have decided to dedicate this, my second ever blog post to someone very special to me - no, not the groundhog with initials P.P. My mom. Today is her birthday, and while this is straying from what will eventually become a set way of doing things, I feel it necessary to pay homage to the best mom in the world, and the best friend anyone could ask for. Also, it's completely feasible she will be the only one reading this after tomorrow.
So pay attention, Shelley...this is your life!
On this day in 1954, the song Oh My Papa by Eddie Fisher topped the Billboard Charts. If you, like me, can't recall ever hearing this song, and are curious as to just what those fly cats were listening to way back when (sorry ma), follow this link to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y04seHfYLAA
Here are a few other noteworthy tidbits circa 1954:
A gallon of gas cost my grandparents a whopping 22 cents.
A shiny, brand new set of wheels would have run them about $1,700.
The average cost of a new house was $10,250...and based on what we paid for ours last year, this makes me more than a little nauseous.
The president of the United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower...they liked Ike!
Popular films out in 1954 included: White Christmas, On the Waterfront, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
And finally, to add at least a tad of domesticity to today's post...
The February 1954 issue of The Journal of Home Economics studied the costs of home and pre-kitchen prepared foods for several menus. Here, a typical dinner menu is given:
Fried Chicken, whole
Spanish Rice
Leaf Spinach
Fruit Salad with dressing
Biscuits
Sherbet
Angel Cake
Ever have a meal like that, mom? All I can say is, if this is how they ate in the 50's, I think I'm gonna like it here!!
So pay attention, Shelley...this is your life!
On this day in 1954, the song Oh My Papa by Eddie Fisher topped the Billboard Charts. If you, like me, can't recall ever hearing this song, and are curious as to just what those fly cats were listening to way back when (sorry ma), follow this link to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y04seHfYLAA
Here are a few other noteworthy tidbits circa 1954:
A gallon of gas cost my grandparents a whopping 22 cents.
A shiny, brand new set of wheels would have run them about $1,700.
The average cost of a new house was $10,250...and based on what we paid for ours last year, this makes me more than a little nauseous.
The president of the United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower...they liked Ike!
Popular films out in 1954 included: White Christmas, On the Waterfront, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
And finally, to add at least a tad of domesticity to today's post...
The February 1954 issue of The Journal of Home Economics studied the costs of home and pre-kitchen prepared foods for several menus. Here, a typical dinner menu is given:
Fried Chicken, whole
Spanish Rice
Leaf Spinach
Fruit Salad with dressing
Biscuits
Sherbet
Angel Cake
Ever have a meal like that, mom? All I can say is, if this is how they ate in the 50's, I think I'm gonna like it here!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The 50's Weren't Built in a Day
I had high hopes for today, my first day as an aspiring 50's housewife. Unfortunately, my first day of the 50's began with a blizzard, a sick baby, a very sick me (running on much less sleep than usual due to the sick baby and my own wonderful cough/cold combo plate), and a dirty kitchen...ok, let's be honest - the whole house could use some work. By 11 am I was wiped and had to take a 2 hour nap, leaving my husband to care for our little boy, which I'm pretty sure was frowned upon in the 1950's. Luckily, my 2K11 husband didn't mind at all.
Although I didn't manage to get as much done today as I had hoped when I went to bed last night (read: someone didn't quite make it to the shower today), I did manage to prepare a delicious breakfast for my husband (who was home on a snow day) and myself to enjoy, which included a food that brings him immense pleasure: bacon. In addition, I changed the sheets on our bed, cleaned the kitchen, and made a delicious dinner (well, actually, my husband did a lot of the work on that as well - he grilled pork tenderloin practically waist deep in snow. Now that's true love).
After dinner I cleaned the kitchen again (although I'm sure not up to 1950's standards), and fell exhausted onto the couch. Only to remember that I had yet to blog about my first day on the job. So here we are, at the end of day 1 and I realize...I have a lot to learn.
I don't have a set time period for this little experiment, but for the forseeable future I will be consulting books published in the 50's such as Amy Vanderbilt's Guide to Gracious Living, Good Housekeeping's Guide to Successful Home Management, a cookbook called Thoughts for Food, and several other 50's housewife sources such as 50's era Good Housekeeping magazine articles and heck, even an episode or two of Father Knows Best to become the epitome of wife and mother. It seems a lofty goal right now...
Already discouraged and just plain exhausted on day 1, I have to pause and think: And I thought this might actually be fun?! But, as bedtime looms near and my sweet little boy sleeps soundly in his crib I am able to muster this one encouraging thought: "The 50's weren't built in a day."
Although I didn't manage to get as much done today as I had hoped when I went to bed last night (read: someone didn't quite make it to the shower today), I did manage to prepare a delicious breakfast for my husband (who was home on a snow day) and myself to enjoy, which included a food that brings him immense pleasure: bacon. In addition, I changed the sheets on our bed, cleaned the kitchen, and made a delicious dinner (well, actually, my husband did a lot of the work on that as well - he grilled pork tenderloin practically waist deep in snow. Now that's true love).
After dinner I cleaned the kitchen again (although I'm sure not up to 1950's standards), and fell exhausted onto the couch. Only to remember that I had yet to blog about my first day on the job. So here we are, at the end of day 1 and I realize...I have a lot to learn.
I don't have a set time period for this little experiment, but for the forseeable future I will be consulting books published in the 50's such as Amy Vanderbilt's Guide to Gracious Living, Good Housekeeping's Guide to Successful Home Management, a cookbook called Thoughts for Food, and several other 50's housewife sources such as 50's era Good Housekeeping magazine articles and heck, even an episode or two of Father Knows Best to become the epitome of wife and mother. It seems a lofty goal right now...
Already discouraged and just plain exhausted on day 1, I have to pause and think: And I thought this might actually be fun?! But, as bedtime looms near and my sweet little boy sleeps soundly in his crib I am able to muster this one encouraging thought: "The 50's weren't built in a day."
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