With a Cardigan, Of Course!

I was watching Father Knows Best again today - I say it's for blog research, but it's really just so intriguing to me, watching a sitcom from so many years ago. In my defense, I do watch Maragaret Anderson like a hawk, noting all the things she does and says; I try to decipher what morsel of good 50's housewifery I can glean from her today.


The episode I watched today was the 5th in the first season, called "Live My Own Life." In this episode, Bud wants to move away from home to prove to his family he is old enough to be his own boss. It was cute and predictable, as you would expect it to be. The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking about what I could blog about. I watched and studied as Margaret put towels away, cleaned the dishes and arranged flowers in a centerpiece on the dining room table. She looked so elegant and domestic as she completed all these taks, which is something I need to work on (read: eek, it's 2 pm and I haven't hit the shower yet today!!).


The thing that interested me the most, though was when dear Mrs. Anderson sat on the couch, reading a magazine, pretending she didn't care that her darling son was about to leave the house "for good." I didn't quite catch the magazine she was reading, but it made me curious enough to do some further research: What did ladies of the 50's read in their magazines? How is it different, if at all, from what we read today?

I found a great source for upcoming blog posts online where 1950's issues of Good Housekeeping and other 50's housewife publications like The Journal of Home Economics are available to read. Today will be the first of many posts from these archives - and guess what? They have also encouraged me to include some pictures in my postings to liven things up a bit! Gee, now isn't that swell?!

Today's topic comes from the May 1950 issue of Good Housekeeping and is an update on an article of clothing that is the epitome of timelessness: the cardigan.

The article is short, but the writer insists:

On a summer street, cover is what you need. Cotton offers two solutions: dresses with cardigans of their own, dresses that welcome yours (p.69).

So, ladies, as we are just stepping into summer with Memorial Day just behind us, what say we all pair our sundresses with a cotton cardigan to achieve two important purposes: 1: much needed cover on a summer street and 2: to really feel the part of the 50's housewife. Perhaps if I look the part, I'll then feel the part, and then I'll just...become the part. Methinks this would be a good time to ask my dear husband for a lovely strand of pearls, no?!

Ok, so that might not happen for a while...or ever...but I do have plenty of cute sundresses and I, for one, intend to rock those frocks this summer the way June might have - with a cardigan, of course!

Happy Wardrobe Essentials Day!

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.

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?