1940s radio

I love music.  I always work better if there is good music playing softly in the background.  As I've said before, when I was growing up my parents kept the radio paying 24/7 and the music that played was a mix of things from the 1930s through the 1960s.  I took classical piano lessons from the time I was 6 until I was 16.  Throughout my high school years I was in a choral group and participated in many musical productions.  So yes, music is a big deal to me.

I love the old music from the 1940s and 50s.  Now, I don't know about where you live, but where I am you can't turn on the radio and simply find a station that plays those old tunes.  However, this week I found an online radio station that not only plays all music from the 1940s but even the commercials are recordings of the radio commercials from then!  The news stories are news stories from the 40s as well.  I have been enjoying it so much!  I found it on a radio app that my husband has on his Ipad.  It's the Uk1940s Vintage Radio station.  It's been so fun to go throughout my day and have this playing in the background.  Love it!

Amen!!!!

I wanted to share this article about our younger generation with you.  It's from LifeSiteNews.com.  I wholeheartedly agree with this author.  "You can be smart, funny, and cool while having morals."  Our young people need to learn - so desperately - that they need to care more about morals and their relationship with God than looking cool to their friends.

Matronly...and proud of it!

I've had something on my mind for a while now.  I've been mulling it over and have wanted to do a blog post about it but couldn't quite get my thoughts out yet.  I needed to think on it a bit more.  Then I read this post at The Apron Revolution and it helped me figure out what I want to say.  (Truthfully, she probably says it much better than I will be able to, so please click the link to read what she wrote.  True and wise words.)

I find myself a bit perplexed and confused as to how things like wearing your pajamas around in public has become not only the norm...but the expected.  And I saw firsthand on a forum today how if ladies dared to say that it was not proper to present one's self in that manner in public, the pajama clad side started slinging accusations of, "Judgement!!!  You can't judge us!!!!" and then they just went down hill from there with all manner of foul language and discontent.

I'll not lie.
It makes me weary.

 

How did we get to the point that instead of valuing women like this:

(the above picture and many more can be found here)

Our society now values and is enamored by women like this:

Don't even try to tell me you can't see the difference.

It's as though anything dignified is looked upon with suspicion and disdain.  Anyone who isn't going with whatever is the current flow is gets looked upon in the same manner.  If you don't agree with it and wish to encourage others who share your views, you're looked upon as trying to "recruit" others to your way of thinking.  And also apparently wishing damnation on those who feel differently.

Not true.

But I will be honest and say that our world could stand a rather large dose of dignity right now.   Not so long ago the majority of people wanted to live their lives in such a way that they would be seen as responsible, dignified, and mature.  Now it seems that so many would rather be seen as comfortable in their pajamas in public than a mature and dignified example to the younger generation.

My husband paid me a compliment recently.  He said something that would make the blood boil of most women my age.  But I dearly love what he said and it made me feel wonderful.  I was standing in our kitchen wearing a simple dress and a new apron that I had recently purchased.  He came in, looked me over, and said with a kiss, "Don't you look matronly."  He meant it as a compliment and I most certainly took it as one.  It still gives me a smile when I think of it.  

It seems that at some point being seen as something like "matronly" has become this taboo thing that women associate with...well, I don't really know what they associate it with but it's obvious it's something negative.  I happen to hold no such reserves where that and similar words are concerned and think that the thoughts they convey are wonderful.  I found in one place the word matronly described as, "maturely dignified or stately."  What woman in her right mind wouldn't want to be seen as maturely dignified or stately?

I know that some must think a "matron" could only be a lady who is very elderly.  But in the past, this word wasn't just reserved for the very old ~~ it was used to describe any lady who carried and presented herself as such.  This photo ~ looks to be from the 1950s perhaps? ~ is even entitled by the photographer, "Young Matrons."

So, yes.  I believe in being "matronly."  And I believe that no harm would come but plenty of good would if women still aspired to behave as and be seen as a "matron."  Pajamas in public need not apply.

Doing Laundry is such a Blessing!!!

What?  You don't agree?  You think that doing laundry is a chore that you would quite happily do without?  Well, I'm here to tell you that it's a blessing!  Yes, I promise, it's a blessing!  I know because I have just had to go a couple of days without doing any...and sad to say...before this 2 day laundry hiatus I was behind on the laundry.

Eeeeeekk!!!

You see, I had an exceptionally busy long weekend.  I fell behind on the laundry during that time.  Then on Tuesday, I decided to get it back under control and thought I would start with the biggest and most difficult item first.  That item was our kind sized mattress cover.  I've washed it many times so I knew our machine could handle it.  But I guess this time it was just too much for the old gal because right in the middle of the load...while the washer was filled with water...she (my washing machine) died.  (Sigh.)

So I was behind on laundry and couldn't catch up.  I called my husband and work and told him our machine was officially dead.  He said he would look for another machine for me and I told him to just make sure it was heavy duty and large capacity or it wouldn't stand up to my abuse, lol.  So it took until 10:00 tonight, but I've now got a working washing machine in my laundry room humming away.   And an unbelievable amount of laundry to do, lol!  That's ok though.  I don't really mind doing laundry.  It's actually one of my more favored chores.  I guess that's a good thing because I know have the privilege of doing quite a bit of it!!

So if you ever feel like laundry is a chore instead of a blessing, just go a few days without doing it and let it all pile up (I don't actually recommend that!) and see just how happy you are be able to set it all right again. 

Happy Washing!

Good Night ~~

An article from Ladies Against Feminism

I wanted to share the link to an article on Ladies Against Feminism with my readers.  It is entitled, "The Death of Pretty" and I wholeheartedly agree with every word of it!  Our young ladies (and a good number of our grown ladies as well) have taken such a turn in the wrong direction in this day and age.  We so desperately need to turn our families back to a more modest lifestyle...truly in more ways than just dress and appearance.  I hope you enjoy this article and find the truth in it just as I did.

Shopping at our Mennonite markets

I had such a good time yesterday.  I went with a friend to our two Mennonite markets here in our town.  (Have I mentioned on my blog before that I live in an area largely populated with Amish and Mennonites?  I can't remember if I've shared that or not.  It's just as common to see horses and buggies going down the road as it is cars.)  :-)  Have you ever shopped at a Mennonite market?  It's quite the experience and is always so much fun especially if you enjoy cooking and hand made items.  Our markets have a store section and then a kitchen section where you can shop their fresh baked goods or have them make you a sandwich on their fresh baked bread.  So we ended up shopping and eating lunch at the second market.

Let me share a few of my finds with you.

I found a basket with a little sign saying these were bread basket liners hand made with vintage materials.  I fell in love with this one.  I do intend to use it as a liner for a bread basket, but for the time being I'm enjoying it under the centerpiece on my table.  See the little birds on it?  I love it.

Next I got this knitted kitchen rag.  It's quite thick and sturdy.  I don't have a dishwasher and hand wash everything so good sturdy kitchen rags are a must.  I also got this knife.  Now, I'm not someone who thinks a lot about knives for the kitchen.  But my friend who was with me told me about these knives that are sold at the Mennonite markets and she said that they are such good quality that they are the only ones she uses and she always like to get a new one or two to add to her collection each time she goes to the market.  So I decided to try one and I have to say, I'm not sure I've ever used a sharper knife!  I'm hooked.  I'll probably want to start picking up another one or two each time I go there now too, lol.

We go through a lot of popcorn.  I make it the old fashioned way on top of the stove so I have to purchase it loose as opposed to those microwave bags.  I've found the Mennonite market to have the best price.  I buy these bags which are a little over 6 pounds and it costs me about $5.00.  Yesterday was just the right time to get some because they had a sign up that said it was National Popcorn Week so all their popcorn was 10% off.  Very nice.  :-)  I also got a canister of butter flavored popcorn salt.

I fell in love with these salt and pepper shakers!  The pepper shaker says, "Milton Kirby's Pepper" and the salt says, "Percival Duffin's Salt."  Too cute.  And they match my kitchen because I use a lot of red in my kitchen.  I love how old fashioned they look and they hold a lot too.  Now, for the items that came from the bulk spices that the Mennonites sell.  (They sell sooooo many bulk spices!  It's pantry heaven.)  The bag on the left is a spice mix for beans.  You know the little flavor packet that comes in 16 bean mix soup from the store?  This is basically what is in that packet.  So I can now get that nice, smokey flavor with any type of bean I want to cook.  The one of the right is called a "greens mix" for soups and stews.  It's basically an assortment of dried veggies and spices to add to soups to give it some extra flavor and heartiness.

And last but not least, my kids would think it so very wrong of me if I went to the Mennonite stores and didn't bring home some candy.  You've never seen so much candy as they have in these stores!  All bagged up in these little cellophane bags.  They love the fruit flavored twists and I must admit to loving the nonpareils myself.  I don't know if you can tell it or not, but the fruit twists were already opened when I took this picture.  The kids grab them as soon as I get home, lol!

 So that was my Saturday ~ shopping and lunch with a sweet friend at the very homey Mennonite markets.  It was a simple day, but we both had so much fun!  I hope to go back soon.  ~~  Blessings to you my friends ~ may your week ahead be filled with simple pleasures that bring a smile to you heart!

Wow

  

I am writing this at almost 2am.  I really don't know if I want to laugh or cry.  I seem to be going back and forth between them both at the moment.  See the above set of broach and earrings?  My mother had that set.  But over time, one of the earrings got lost.  I don't even know if my mother lost it before she died or if I did afterwards.  And two of the glass beads in the broach came loose and have come out.  I felt certain I could fix the broach, but had no idea how to find that identical set of earrings so I could have the whole set.  You see, that set of jewelry reminds me soooo much of my mother.  It's just so...her.  And I really wanted an intact set.  

But talk about trying to find a needle in a haystack.  

Trying to find one earring in all the world.

I've really had this on my mind a lot in the past few weeks.  How to go about finding this pair of earrings.  Well today I decided to try Etsy.  The glass beads are very much a peach color in real life.  So I thought about searching for "vintage peach jewelry."  But then I thought that perhaps most people wouldn't list them as peach, but orange.  So I did a search for "vintage orange jewelry."  And got 250 pages of results.  This was going to be a long day.  So in between chores and while the kids were busy with their school work, I would search through the pages, hoping to find mom's set.  When I got 160 pages in...my computer locked up and I had to turn it off.  By then I was tired and needed to do other things.  But tonight after everyone went to bed, I continued my search.  I put in "vintage orange jewelry" hoping to be able to skip ahead to page 160 where I left off and finish through the 250 pages.  Only to find that now there weren't 250 pages to sort through, but about 380.  Sigh.  Ok.

So I got started.  I was getting very tired and at 1:30am told myself I would search until 2:00 and then call it quits.  I clicked through about 2 or 3 more pages...and there it was!  Not only the earrings, but the whole set with the broach as well.

I'm just...shocked.  I can't believe I found it!  Of course I purchased it and it should be on it's way to me soon.  I need to go to bed, but right now I just don't think I could sleep if I tried.

      

Dressing as a lady - learning about vintage styles

 I have a new hobby that I am enjoying immensely.  If you've read my blog for any time at all, you've probably read some of my posts on lady's dress or lack thereof in this day and age.  Well, I have a soft spot for anything 1950s related.  And recently I was doing some online searching, just for the fun of it, about vintage 1950s fashion and hairstyles.  I'm fairly adept at copying a hairstyle once I see a visual of it, so I thought it would be fun to try some really old fashioned ones.  

Oh my dear.  Once I started delving into the world of vintage...let's just say I'm never going back!  I've discovered that I love not only the style of the 1950s, I love anything from the 1930s through the 1950s!  And they are truly more different from one another than you would think.  

Vintage is my new favorite word, lol.  My new favorite thing to occupy my down time.  Etsy has a lot of wonderful vintage finds ~ everything from clothes to Bakelite.

One of my most fascinating finds has been blogs of other ladies who dress in a vintage style from their favorite era all the time.  My favorite one at the moment is Va-Voom Vintage.  This is a blog written by a young wife and mom who is a vintage enthusiast and she has everything on her blog from vintage hair and make-up tutorials, to reviews of old movies, to what to expect and how to shop at an estate sale.  I warn you though - one vintage blog will lead to another and another until you have a whole list of vintage enthusiast blogs saved in your favorites!  :-)

I love these old fashions and it's so nice to see that others do too and that they have a lot of knowledge to share about such things.  And the fact that a whole sub-set of our population is dressing in such a classy manner on a daily basis absolutely tickles me pink ladies, lol!

If you think you might be interested in vintage styles, do some searching online yourself.  I think you'll be surprised at just how much information is out there - everything from blogs to Youtube videos.  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do because I have been having a very good time with my new "hobby."

Drowned in Butter Biscuits

(This picture is after my family started their inital attack on the biscuits, lol.  I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of them untouched!)

These are the tastiest biscuits I've ever made. I have a **very** picky family and they all love these so much! They're not the prettiest biscuits ever, but the taste...oh my word. You'll just have to try them for yourself to see that I'm right, lol! Oh, by the way, my husband gave them their name. Because there's enough butter in this to make Paula Dean proud.

Drowned in Butter Biscuits

2 C. bisquick

1/2 C. sour cream

1/2 C. 7-up

1 whole stick of butter

Take your 2 C of bisquick and use a pastry cutter to cut in the sour cream. Make sure to get it all worked in and crumbly. While you are doing this, let the stick of butter melt in a pot on the stove. Now mix the 7-up into your bisquick/sour cream crumbles. This will make a very wet dough. Put some more bisquick on your counter or bread board and dump the wet dough out onto it. Now go back to your melted butter. Pour it all into a 9in. square pan. (Or you could do what I do. I use a glass pie pan. I've found they make the best biscuits! Perfectly brown on the bottom every time.) Now pour all that butter in your pan. Now back to your dough. Knead it a few times. Not too many. Just enough so that you can handle the dough well enough to transfer it in one piece into your butter pan. It will still be wet. That's ok, you want that. When you carefully make the transfer into the pan, if there's any excess bisquick on the dough blow it off. Place your dough that's been formed into a rough circle or square shape right down into that butter. Now take a knife and carefully cut the dough into individual biscuits. Roughly all the same size. If you don't cut 100% all the way through all the dough, it's ok. Just do the best you can.

Now at this point your going to think that there is no way this recipe is going to work. It will look like a wet, runny mess with so much butter that the dough will be too soaked to even bake properly. Just relax, and trust the recipe. Pop it into a 450* oven. Keep your eye on it, I usualy start checking them around 10-12 minutes. Bake until they are golden brown. The butter will have sopped up.

Eat them. I promise it will be bliss.

My favorite things

I thought I would share a few of my favorite things with you.  I always love to see things that other women love and get inspiration from them, so I pass along the gesture to my sweet readers.  

Pond's Cold Cream:

Of course, now days it looks like this:

I tried to do some research to find out exactly how long this cream has been on the market, but I wasn't able to unearth that little fact.  But I remember my momma using this when I was a wee little girl and she always talked about how long she had been using it.  I know that women have been using this...well, forever!  And decades of women just can't be wrong.  This is what I use to wash my face with every night.

Noxema:

I always purchase the original formula:

I know that they have lots of other formulas of Noxzema available now days, but I always stick with the original.  I can't help myself, I'm a bit skeptical about all the new ones.  I'm not one to want to re-invent the wheel and I say if it's not broke, then don't fix it!  :)  I've used this product since I was a young girl.  My mom started me on it and I started my daughter on it a few years ago as well.  I love the fresh smell of it and the tingle it gives to my skin.  I use this every morning to wash my face.  The distinct smell of it always helps wake me up and gets me ready to start my day.

Aprons:

I absolutely adore and love wearing aprons.  I've been wearing them since I was first married.  I must admit to being a bit picky about my aprons though.  I don't like half aprons ~ I don't much see the point in them.  I prefer a full bib apron that ties in the back. I also prefer for them to have some length to them ~ at least below the knee.  I have different ones for different jobs.  I have a denim one for really messy jobs and a white denim one for when I'm using bleach.  I have several cotton ones to choose from for daily wear and also some special ones for the Christmas season.

I remember once when my dad was still living he was watching me in the kitchen one day.  I grabbed my apron and put it on.  When he saw me do that he said, "Uh oh, better watch out.  She's fixing to get serious in there!"  Lol, that still gives me a laugh when I think about it. 

So yes, I love my aprons.  This one below is one I recently purchased off of Etsy.  I can't wait for it to arrive!

Victory Rolls! :) 

I love all things vintage and that includes hairstyles.  My current project is to learn how to do my hair up in Victory Rolls.  I don't have it perfect yet, but I'm getting there.  I really like it and my 15 year old daughter thinks it's weird ~ so I must be doing something right, lol!

This is one of the videos I've used to learn how to do it:

Ideals Magazine Publications:

I love these publications.  More often than not, they can be found in Christian bookstores.  Although occasionally I have found them in regular bookstores.  They are put out for the seasons and for holidays and I always keep my eyes out for them.  These are not regular magazines that you will want to throw away once you are done with them.  In my family, we keep them and even pass the collection down from one generation to the next.  They have short stories, poetry, recipes, and beautiful photography in each one.  They are very uplifting and have a very positive influence. 

These are just a few things that I love and that give a little lift to my day.

  I may add to this post over time if I think of more things to add to it.  :-)