A Cape Cod Home to Call Our Own: Window Shopping

HI!!!!!!!!!!

Can you all believe that it's the last day in July?!?!?!  Where did the summer go? Yes, there's still a month left, but my summer vacation ends mid August. That means only 2 1/2 weeks left!

Plus, it's my birthday month! WOOT WOOT!!! I'm counting down to the 13th. I'm still not sure what I want to do on the day. I'm thinking of keeping it low key and baking and having Honey cook for me. We'll see.

Anyway, today I decided to go online and window shop for homes. We think we've narrowed our location down to Connecticut, mostly because of my job. I REALLY need to cut down on my commute time, so right now that seems like the best option.

We also still plan on renting a place first ( we've also been looking at apartments and rental homes) but I want to keep the house buying energy flowing at all times. I really am a believer of the Law of Attraction, so we're putting home buying energy into the universe at all times!

Here are the top 6 houses that I looked at today. It's funny, some of them are not lookers in the curb appeal area but were super cute inside. Then, some were amazing outside and stunk inside...sigh. I guess that's house hunting for you.  These are some of the ones I saw potential in... click the link to go to the listings. You know, in case you're looking too... Oh and not all are Capes!!!


I love this 1948 house because even though everything has been updated (as with all of the older homes I've looked at) I don't think it would take much to put a 50s spin on it.

Listing

Ok...so this one isn't a beauty outside but...It has a BREAKFAST NOOK!!!!!!!! LOVE! I have a soft spot for breakfast nooks. It also has some really nice built in cabinets that I like too.

Listing

This bungalow, built in 1925, has the cutest little white fence! I also love the mudroom. The rest of the house is decent, nothing extravagant but its reasonably priced. That means it could leave a heck of a renovation budget!!

Here is a 1940's Colonial. I usually don't like Colonials but this one is cute. The fireplace, kitchen and deck are all pluses for me.

Listing

Here is a Cape Cod. I love the outside (Honey hates the pointy top) but I'm not thrilled about the inside of it.  Well, most of it is workable, but the kitchen is a deal breaker. I love the homey feel of the house though. With a little vintage tune up to the decor it could be a nice home. But...the kitchen definitely needs an overhaul.

Listing

I love this 1915 Cape!!!! There isn't much I would change about it other than paint colors. The backyard is great!

Listing

Here is a bonus because it was Honey's favorite. The outside of this 1930s Colonial is definitely stunning! And the inside is just as beautiful (if you can imagine that all of the wood paneling and cabinets in the kitchen are gone and replaced with pretty ones).

Listing

Well, that's that! I just wanted to share my findings with you guys and give an update on moving front.  

I hope you are having a great last day of July!!! August is sure to be a blast!!!

xoxo

Vintage Christmas Prep: 5 months til Christmas!!

How is everyone today...

It's a great day here in NYC. Well at least to me. We finally have a break from the super hot weather and have temps in the 60s!!!! YAY! It totally feels like fall! Too bad it's only for a day,but I'll take what I can get. This weather is really getting me thinking about apples, pumpkin, comfort food and nice warm flannel throw blankets. So... what do you think I spent most of my morning doing?

Christmas researching with a nice mug of hot coffee!

Around this time every year since I was a kid, I get what I call the "Christmas Tingles". Its that little butterfly-y feeling most of us got when we knew Christmas was right around the corner. The only difference is that I get the "Christmas Tingles" MUCH earlier than most people, and they last through the rest of the summer on till New Year's Day (After that I get the "Post Holiday Dumps" and  they make me a little sad and not myself. I try to focus my energy on Valentine's Day/Honey's and my anniversary).

I'm doubly excited for Christmas this year because we have decided to make this year's Christmas a vintage one. That means I'm giving all of our old decor to charity (unless it's some of the more expensive collector's stuff I've been known to buy) and replacing it with vintage or vintage look alike decorations! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.

The theme for this Christmas will be a 1940's Christmas. Maybe a little more post-war than rations... Yes, I know, I'm admittedly more of a 50's girl but I'm not a big fan of 1950's Christmas decor. I REFUSE to get an aluminum tree and all the not- so-Christmas colors of the decade put me off a little. I much more lean toward a Victorian ideal of the holiday. But in keeping with my personal affinity of all things mid century, I decided that the 40's would be a good compromise. It's before all the artificial-ness of a 50's Christmas but not so far back that I would bore Honey with sugarplums, marzipan and Wassail (although I do enjoy a good marzipan and Wassail).

So what does having a 40's Christmas mean in my mind? Well, I was thinking a 40's Christmas would have been a lot more homemade. Handmade decorations and gifts. Actual stockings hung as opposed to the Santa boot shaped stockings on the market today. A live tree (which we do anyway) decorated with popcorn and baked goods.

I'm already planning on buying some strands of Bubble Lights, which were popular in the late 40's. I think I may buy these new, although I'm sure I could find vintage ones on Ebay. I was thinking of ordering them from here

Christmas Central

Or do you think these multicolored ones (from the same company) give more of a retro feel?

I know that tinsel was also a big thing but I think I may forgo the messy little strands. I'm not sure those would be safe for Givenchy, who loves to nibble on things he shouldn't. I'm not sure I love the look of tinsel anyway.

I think it may overwhelm our tiny apartment. Especially since I tend towards larger trees.

These are definitely on my to do list when the holiday rolls around. I found this recipe for inedible Christmas cookie decorations. I've never tried anything like it before so it should be fun. The recipe comes from The 1940s Experiment (the link will take you directly to the recipe). Aren't they adorable!

I also want to make a few paper chains. In years past (in my life pre-vintage) I shied away from hand made decorations. I thought that they may not look polished and may look like a child did them. But THESE (click the link and scroll down the page) from London's Imperial War Museum's 1940s House all decorated for the holiday make me want to try them out.

This exhibit was from a couple of years ago. Fleur from Diary of A Vintage Girl did a Christmas photo shoot there. I love it! The photos give great 1940s inspiration.

Here is a video of the house all done up for Christmas.

I would love to get some vintage Shiny Bright ornaments like these:

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They're all over Ebay with decent prices so it's time to get a jump on that! Before the prices go up!




So, that's the beginning of my Christmas prep. I just need to organize my ideas on paper and start purchasing things. I'm a stickler for coordination in decorating, so I want to make sure everything flows correctly AND stays in the designated time period.

Before I say goodbye I wanted to leave you with THIS little essay that I found about the author's Christmases as a child growing up in 1940's North Dakota. It's sure to get your "Christmas Tingles" tingling!!!!!


Every month on the 25 (Rudolph Day) I'll be doing a Christmas themed post. It may be baking idea, gift ideas or any of the many things that ramble through my mind about the holiday on a daily basis. Be looking out for the posts. Hopefully we can bounce ideas around about how to make the holidays as vintage as possible!!!!

Happy Rudolph Day, Lovies!!!!


xoxo

Yes...I'm a Brit at Heart!

Hi all!!!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their week. It's finally cooled off here in NYC thank goodness. We had 7 straight days of 95+ degree weather. UGH! Soooo hot!

As you all know, there was a certain royal baby born yesterday! YAY!!! Who can resist a cute little bundle of joy...royal or not.

You may also know that I am obsessed with anything (and I do mean anything) British, so yesterday was so much fun for me! I'm sure if you live in England my obsession is a little strange, but I can't help it. I think it's because my childhood ballet teacher was British. She was hard core and not always the nicest lady but she was an amazing teacher. She had a very no nonsense air about her that I'm sure made me a better dancer. I started taking from her in my teen years so she had a huge influence in my life. She taught a British style of ballet (the Royal Academy of Dance) which I now teach. Funny, huh?

I also admit that Julie Andrews had a lot to do with my childhood obsession with England. I wanted to meet her sooooooo badly!! I watched "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" twice a day from the time I was 8 years old until I was a preteen!

And OF COURSE I was totally in love with Princess Diana! My ballet friends and I were completely devastated when she passed.

Then when I finally got to visit London, that was it. I know now that my obsession will NEVER go away! It's just something that Honey has to deal with... and make fun of me about.

So with the arrival of the royal baby and the fact that I LOVE the UK I thought I would share some vintage Royal Family photos that I found a few weeks ago...

Enjoy!

A young Prince Charles and family

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Prince Charles on a deer

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Queen Elizabeth driving Prince Charles and Princess Anne, 1957

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King George VI, the Queen Mother and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret

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Queen Elizabeth square dancing in 1955

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The Queen and family

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Princess Margaret

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Princess Diana with Princes William and Harry

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Aren't those photos lovely?!?!

P.S. I'm currently working on my first Christmas prep post! (yay!) So that will be the next post...on the 25th!!! Exactly 5 months til Christmas!!! ( I think my obsession with Christmas and my love for the UK kind of go hand in hand...Thanks a lot Charles Dickens...hehe)

xoxo

Growing Up Strong on PET Milk??? The Fultz Quadruplets

While on Facebook a couple of days ago I came across the cutest picture ever in the status update of one of the many vintage pages I follow. It was a photo of 4 adorable African American babies in the 1940s. The caption read :

 The Fultz Quadruplets, the first quads to ever survive in the south.

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After researching I found information to dispute the fact that they were the first surviving southern quads, I did find that they are the first ever African American quads on record to survive until adulthood.

I was immediately interested.

 Back in the 40s  there were no fertility drugs and in the South, most blacks were poor and on the verge of being malnourished, so the fact that the first surviving quads were in the south is amazing! I began to look up their story. Googling it, I found that most information on them came from sites that give information of the importance of breast feeding and specifically the importance of breast feeding in the black community...

The story goes:

Annie Mae Fultz was 37 years old and pregnant. She was the wife of a poor tenant farmer in North Carolina. During her pregnancy she had grown bigger than what was presumed "normal" (her x-rays presumed triplets) and went into town 3 weeks early to have her baby. You see, Annie, her husband (Pete) and their other children lived on a farm outside of town, and with Annie also being deaf and mute, no chances wanted to be taken with her already high risk pregnancy.

The Fultz Quadruplets were born May 23, 1946 at 3 pounds each. The doctor who delivered the children, Fred Klenner,  was a family doctor in a small southern town. He didn't have any of the supplies we have today that are needed when the birth of multiples are involved. There was no incubator so he had to wrap them in cotton gauze blankets and place them very close together.  And... let's not forget that it was 1946, a time of extreme  racial segregation in the South and when blacks had almost no say in even their own lives. So because of this, Klenner took it upon himself to NAME ANNIE'S BABIES!!!! (I know, right?!?!?!) He named them all Mary, followed by names from his own family: Mary Ann (for his wife), Mary Louise (his daughter), Mary Alice (his aunt) and Mary Catherine (his great aunt). The  black nurse who helped deliver the babies recalled not thinking much of it. She is quoted as saying:

"At that time, you know, it was before integration, They did us how they wanted. And these were very poor people. He was a sharecropper, Pete was, and she couldn't read or write."

It took no time at all before news of the quads spread and soon everyone wanted a piece of the the babies. At a time when baby formula companies were gaining momentum in the white community, many formula companies were looking to strengthen their presence in the black community. Most, if not all blacks were breast feeding at the time because of the simple fact that many could not afford infant formula. What better way to reel in African American business than with 4 beautiful, black baby girls. Borden and Carnation threw their hat in the ring, but in the end it was Pet that Klenner chose to let represent the girls. Klenner was awarded a contract with Pet Milk and made the girls guinea pigs for his "Vitamin C Therapy". In exchange for using the girls for promotional purposes, the Fultz's were given a nurse and medical care, food and a farm by Pet.

Fultz and one of the babies

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When the girls had gained enough weight to be deemed healthy, they were set to be discharged from the hospital. The local newspaper announced their discharge with a huge photo of the girls with a caption that read:

Dr. Fred Klenner stated that visitors would be welcome at the home between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each afternoon, and that the quads could be viewed through a glass screen.

Yes, you read right. The girls were to be on display in there own home in their nursery behind a glass wall...

Throughout the years Pet Milk continued to promote their milk with the girls. They were on the covers of almost all of the black magazines at the time and almost every Pet Milk ad had them drinking Pet Milk, baking with Pet Milk and anything else that was thought to get people to buy the milk.

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 The girls grew up beautifully, which they probably would have done without the formula. But once the girls reached adulthood things started to unravel. The girls eventually had to be adopted by the nurse that Pet Milk had assigned to them. The farm they were promised turned out to be in the middle of nowhere and on land that wasn't able to grow anything. Eventually the girls were forgotten by the public and lived relatively private lives. And the most tragic of all, all of the girls except one, died of breast cancer before the age of 55. The one surviving sister, the youngest, Mary Catherine also has breast cancer. I have researched her but could find nothing stating whether she survived her cancer battle. As of 2002 she was still alive and well. Let's pray that it remains so today.

Mary Catherine looking at photos of her childhood still on display at the hospital

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There has been a lot of talk about whether or not being fed Pet Milk exclusively through infancy and through a entire childhood had anything to do with the girls poor health later in life. It is said that even today breast feeding is much healthier than formula if mommy can manage it. And in the 40s I'm sure Pet Milk was not full of the vitamins and minerals of today's infant formula. I can't really see it containing many more vitamins and things babies need than regular store bought milk.  Then again cancers, especially breast, have a big genetic component. So maybe Pet Milk wasn't the cause, but I'm sure it didn't help. I'm almost positive the Pet Milk of the 40s and 50s contained little if no cancer fighting properties... I have also heard that there were a lot of tests run on them and many shots given to them so...

I'm not sure why I've never heard of the Fultz Quads before, but I'm glad I know of them now. Finding history of such stories is fascinating. Since starting my vintage journey I've found myself being more and more enthralled with history. Especially the little known history of individuals. I feel that it's my job to not only celebrate the fashion and hair of the past but the events that make our country and world, for that matter, the place that it is today.

Had you ever heard of the Fultz girls before today?

xoxo

(P.S. Sorry about the weird change in font toward the end...my computer just stopped with the normal font I was using...working on fixing it!!!! )

Enoying a Little Picnic

Hey dolls!!

Whew!! This heat in NYC is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!! The weather is crazy this summer. Can you believe that we got rained out of Midsummer Night Swing!?!?! UGH!  So disappointed but I guess there's always next year. Now, today it's 95 degrees out! Thank goodness for air conditioning!!!! 

Well, Honey is off today so we're going to have a movie day! We're starting off with classics and are going to end with her all time favorite movie "Gangs of New York". Its not my favorite but it is a REALLY good movie worthy of movie night.

The first movie of today was one the I had never seen before so I wanted to share it with you all...

It's staring Kim Novak

and William Holden.

I heard that it's one of Kim Novaks first movies and is credited with making her the big star that she was in the 50s.

Picnic is about a drifter, Hal Carter (William Holden) who comes to a Kansas town on Labor Day to visit a wealthy  fraternity friend, Alan. When he gets there he has nothing and asks an old woman if he can you some yard work for her in exchange for food. While doing the work he meets  her neighbors: a young tomboy named Millie, her very pretty older sister Magde (Kim Novak) their mother and a school teacher who is boarding at their home, Rosemary (played by THE Rosalind Russell). Of course he falls for Madge immediately but soon learns that she is the girlfriend of Alan, the friend he is there to visit.

When he meets up with Alan he tells him of his troubles with money and Alan agrees to give him a job at the family grain company. Then he invites Hal to the town's annual Labor Day picnic. Hal agrees reluctantly and escorts young Millie to the picnic. Alan will of course escort Madge.

Everything goes well at the picnic. Hal and Millie have a blast, in a brother and sister kind of way (but of course Mille develops a crush). There are games and activities and Madge even wins the title of Queen Neeowollah (Halloween spelled backwards), the picnics Labor Day "queen". Everything is great until the end of the night dance when Madge and Hal start to dance together and romance ensues.  An under aged Millie gets jealous and gets drunk and an equally drunken Rosemary becomes jealous of the gorgeous Madge and starts an argument with Hal. Things get turned upside down and everyone but Madge thinks its Hal's fault, including his friend Alan. 

Things get worse and include Hal "stealing" Alan's car with Madge in it,  Hal and Madge declaring their love for one another and Hal going into hiding and having to leave the town. He asks Madge to go with him...Does she go? Well, hopefully you can find the movie and find out.

Its a great little summer movie. It's kind of dramatic in a corny way but I liked it. The girl who plays Millie reminded me of a young Audrey Hepburn a little. Both in her looks and mannerisms. Kim Novak looks AMAZING throughout the entire movie, of course.  William Holden, although super attractive looked a little old to be playing a recent college graduate. I was excited to see Rosalind Russell in the movie. I'm in love with all of her work! She was the best!

If you're looking for a good summer themed movie this is a good one! I can't wait until it's actually Labor Day! I'm thinking of having an end of the summer party and...its that much closer to FALL!!!

Stay cool!!!

xoxo

Mid Century Housewife Wrap Up!!!!!!!!

Here it is...

My Mid Century Housewife wrap up.

I've been thinking for a few days about what I want to say in this post. And as I write this I'm still thinking.

The 12 days of "Housewife-ing" was definitely a learning experience. So here is what I've come away with.

1. Being a Housewife is just as hard having a out of home job. Especially if you are a ballet teacher: Yes, my job is physically, and mentally (especially when having to deal with teen girls and their drama) demanding but I feel like I worked just as hard while being home, cooking and cleaning. Scrubbing floors and slaving over a hot stove in the dead of summer is DEFINITELY a job in it's own right. Not to mention laundry, windows, vaccuming...the list goes on and on. Its non stop all day!! I don't know how housewives back then kept to the schedule day in and day out. Although I'm sure most of them strayed from it every now and then. Its hard to keep a day on an exact schedule while also keeping it enjoyable...Which leads me to my next point.

2. I am sometimes too much of a "by the book" girl: Again, I don't know if it comes from my dance training or what, but if you give me a list or schedule of things to do I DO NOT stray from it!! And annoyingly so. I never noticed that about myself. Maybe it's the control freak in me or maybe like my mom used to always say about me, it's that when I commit to something I COMMIT to it. Whole heartedly, sometimes at the expense of other things. Which is both a blessing and a curse. Reliability is definitely a great quality to have but when commitment to something borders on obsession and bull headedness I think that's when I need to take a step back and...breathe. Everything is not always going to be perfect. There are times in life where you come upon things that don't fit in your schedule and you just have to deal. Turn lemons into lemonade. There are also times where I need to step back and take care of myself, even if it means Honey has to have a sandwich for dinner. Its ok... its not the end of the world. If I rest now, then tomorrow will be better than ever. I can make up for the sandwich by baking a fabulous cake the next day. And let's face it, who doesn't enjoy a nice cool sandwich with chips and soda every now and then. I can only take care of others if I take care of myself.

3. I LOVE making Mid Century food...but not so much eating it: Although I had a blast making all the vintage recipes, the flavors (at least for the dinners) tended to be quite boring. Maybe that's because I'm so used to my Martha Stewart and Food Network recipes. Even the tasty ones were boring. I did love the fact that there were so few ingredients. Especially the 1940s Tamale Pie recipe. That one was REALLY good and pure and simple. No cans, just simple ingredients. The 1950s one's seemed to have many more cans in one recipe than I'm used to using. I think this comes from the birth of "convenience foods", which most people use now a days way too often. But  even though more cans were used back then, I feel like the portions were smaller and more in moderation than they are today. I did notice that we didn't have NEARLY as many leftovers as we normally do. Mid Century servings were noticeably smaller. We never left the table hungry, but we were never completely stuffed either.  So I'm sure that even with the usage of cans, people weighed less and were probably healthier.

Now the desserts were another story. I loved all of the desserts I made and will be keeping all of them in my recipe box! The two best ones were the blueberry cobbler and the strawberry shortcake. YUM!!! I can't wait to try some vintage recipes for my holiday baking.

4. Cooking vintage recipes is much cheaper than modern recipes: I think that comes with having fewer ingredients. With my fancy recipes I can easily spend $50 on one meal, sometimes dessert included, sometimes without (baking can get expensive). While doing the experiment I got away with spending $50 on 3 meals, dessert included. So that helped the purse strings a little.

5.I am WAYYYYY to dependent on my gadgets, and social media: WOW! I mean, I knew it was bad...I just didn't know it was THAT bad! I was really on my phone much more than I should have been. Especially the first few days. After I got in a groove it was easier to check Facebook, Instagram blog and get the heck offline but geez. I totally felt like I was missing out on things! Even though nothing more than usual was happening. I'm really going to work on that. When I wasn't thinking about what was going on online, it was nice to just be with myself and my own thoughts. Music helped a lot too. Thank goodness for Spotify! It acted as my "radio" and I listened to all kinds of period appropriate music. I swept or mopped and sang along. It was fun! Yes...I know. I still had to use my computer...but we don't own a radio, so what was a girl to do?

6. As much as I enjoyed my time as a Mid Century Housewife I have to admit I'm glad I don't have to wear day dresses the ENTIRE day: Goodness that was by far the hardest thing for me. The first few days, it was fun. I woke up and prettied myself for the day. I was a peach to look at at 8:00 am. But after a while it got tedious. Especially as it got hotter. And cleaning...forget it!!! That was miserable! Usually it's fun to get dressed in all my vintage pretties but this actually became a chore. I think if my whole day didn't mostly involve water and brooms then maybe it would have been easier. I don't mind having pin curls and a dress on in the house when I'm not constantly brushing falling curls out of the way over a sink full of hot water. I'd much rather clean in crummy clothes and get pretty when my home is all nice and pretty.

I do think that I'm going to try to make myself more presentable when Honey comes home from work. I mean, I don't have to be a fashion plate, but maybe changing into a dress for dinner every now and then might be a good thing. At least during days that I'm off from teaching. I think sometimes I can take the fact that she loves me for granted.  You get used to your spouse/partner and forget that a little dolling up can go a long way when they come home from work, exhausted from a long day. And I'm sure Honey wouldn't mind at all!!!!

So that's it. A short and sweet summary of my 12 days. Like I said in the previous post, this will now be a monthly thing so I'm sure I'll have more a- ha moments as the year wears on. With all of the life changes that will be going on this year, it will be fun to see my domestic side blossom!!!

Maybe I'll host a mid century party in the fall and cook up some yummy (and some not so yummy) vintage dishes for my friends! What better way to show off what I've been learning! Hmmm...wheels spinning!!!

Hope you all have a great day! And while you're online, if you haven't done so already, go to Jessica's blog at Chronically Vintage or her Facebook page and wish her a Happy Birthday!!! She's a peach and deserves a great day!!!

xoxo

Mid Century Housewife Day 12: Slippery When Wet

Sorry I'm a day late getting this post up. I was feeling super lazy yesterday. I think it's the heat. All I did was stay in bed, watch TCM and eat snacks. Not that I could cook anything in my kitchen anyway. More on that later.

Anyway, Saturday was Day 12 and the last day of the project.

Saturday is basically a free day on the housewife schedule. Its all about the daily clean, baking, cooking and catching up on things that didn't get done during the week. I'm guessing knitting, sewing, reading...things of that sort.

For me it was organizing and paying the monthly bills...UGH!! The worst part of the month (especially when you want to get a couple of new dresses and maybe some kitchen toys. Then you realize that you will be working MUCH less than normal until next month. So no dresses or toys...sigh. Maybe I'll treat myself to a vintage magazine or cookbook.). I'm still waiting to hear from the Experian credit people on some identity theft on my credit report. Someone opened an AT&T account in my name last year and racked up a $600 cell phone bill in my name.I didn't catch it until last month unfortunately. So now they have to investigate before they take it off of my report. This is really stressing me out because I finally paid off ALL of my credit card debt and thought I was home free. Now this, and right when we're trying to get all of our ducks in a row to start the relocation process. Ah well, I guess it could be worse.

I got to relax much more this day than all the other days because everything was already clean! I mean EVERYTHING. And Honey had to work so I only had to make lunch for myself and Givenchy. I have to admit that I do, in fact, cook for the pup sometimes. It's fun to do. He's so easy to please!!!! hehe

Dinner that night was

Hmmmm...right???

Ok. So on paper it doesn't seem like it would be any kind of tasty, right. Or at the very least, just super bland.

Well, while not at all a pretty dish, it wasn't that bad!

Please excuse the paper plate. This is where my broken kitchen comes in. After I got dinner in the oven, I started washing up the dishes. As I was washing I noticed that there was a little water on the floor. I thought it was just water from the dishes. Then I noticed that it was a LOT of water and it was really warm. I looked under the sink and that's when I noticed that the kitchen sink pipe was broken. I mean water gushing out!!!!! sigh...

I'm so glad I got dinner done and most of the dishes washed before that happened! We haven't been able to use the kitchen sink since. My landlord is trying her best to get someone out here today but it is waaayyy too hot to not have a kitchen sink. I guess I'll be washing dishes in the bathtub until it gets repair. I'm still waiting and it's noon...

So paper plates it is.

AND on top of all of that, while I'm cleaning up buckets of water, I get a call from Honey. She had a co worker who was leaving and had to go to a last minute going away party. I don't get annoyed at Honey often but this time, I have to admit, I was totally annoyed. Not only was there water all over the floor but now my dinner, which consisted mostly of beef, would have to go untouched for over an hour.  So...my dinner had to sit around and wait...and wait...and wait... Since I had dinner alone I just made more broccoli instead of the green beans I was going to make.  Honey didn't make it home until midnight. Thankfully the beef hadn't gotten too dry and she liked it. It was pretty good.

Dessert I made before I even started dinner so it didn't get affected by my little kitchen flood.

I made Blueberry cobbler!!!

THIS was the yummiest vintage dessert that I made all week. Soooo yummy and soooo simple to make.

The recipe says Rubarb Cobbler (which is probably just as delish) but there is a blueberry option at the bottom of the recipe.  There were so many yummy blueberries in the supermarket, I had to take advantage of them! I didn't make a photo of the recipe of the biscuit dough that goes on top but I think your favorite biscuit recipe should work. I would think it would even work with Bisquick!!! Try it!!! I topped off the warm cobbler with Neapolitan ice cream. YUM!

Tomorrow I'll post a wrap up of the 12 days. It really has been a lot of fun and my home is SPOTLESS! I love it. When I woke up this morning I still did the daily tidying even though I didn't have to. Funny, huh??



See you tomorrow, lovies!!

Mid Century Housewife Day 11: Redemption Song

Sigh...

I want to thank you guys for the encouraging words when I had my mini breakdown in the last post. I'm such a perfectionist sometimes. It really stinks! But I'm better now and things are going much more smoothly. You guys are the best!!!!!

Yesterday (Friday), Day 11 of the Mid Century Housewife Project,was soooo much better than the days before.

I was able to fit breakfast, lunch and dinner in the day. I have been doing it all the other days but barely squeezing a light lunch in. I seemed to have more than enough time this time. YAY!!!

Before lunch I WALKED to the supermarket in 90 degree weather. In a day dress... Soooo hot!! We are in a middle of a heat wave here in the city. Have I ever mentioned to you all that I'm not a heat person. Yes, I'm from Louisiana but ugh!! I much prefer the cloudiness and coolness of the fall. I'm already excited for fall colors and the prospect of wearing soft sweaters and cardigans. And fall shoes!!!! OOHHH!! I can't wait to get my hands on some cute vintage or vintage-like fall shoes. I already have one pair gifted to me by a fellow blogger. I plan on pairing them with a wool circle skirt that I got toward the end of winter. I wasn't able to wear it because by the time I got it it was out of season.
OH! And the smell of pumpkin
OOOHHH!! And hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks!!!


Sorry about the fall day dreaming. It's my favorite season. Anyway. Its hot and I'm not enjoying it one bit.

Another thing that went well was the cleaning. Since I missed my "thorough clean" on Thursday because of the holiday, I had to double clean yesterday. That meant getting the ENTIRE apartment squeaky clean. Thankfully, I have the best Honey in the world, who didn't mind getting her hands dirty and helping out. I did most of the work but the small things she did really helped so that I could concentrate on the bigger things. YAY for teamwork!!!

Dinner was also a success!!!

It came from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook again

Honey was nervous about apple juice and sugar in a chicken dish but I had a feeling it would work well. And it did!!! Super YUM!!

We had some fresh broccoli in the fridge so I just steamed it and added rice.

And for dessert was Strawberry Shortcake

I don't know who Susan is but she has a darn good shortcake recipe!!! Thanks Susan!! You rock!

 I was pooped by the time I served dessert. During dinner I couldn't eat much because I just didn't have the energy to put fork to mouth!


Well, that was yesterday. Bear with me while I change subjects and talk about some blog happenings...

 I have decided to cut the project short by two days. SAD FACE. Honey has gigs to do makeup for PLUS her normal job at MAC, so for the next two days she'll be gone from morning to late at night/morning. That means the cooking big meals will be limited. Today will be the last day. I'll post about it tomorrow along with a summary of the 12 days.

But, I do plan on keeping Mid Century Housewife as a monthly feature on the blog. I'm thinking about posting the results of mid century recipes and giving housekeeping tips from mid century sources. I think it would be fun! I've been having such a blast that I want to keep the party going!

There will also be another feature starting this month. As most of you know I am a Christmas FREAK! I love everything about the holiday! I always start planning decor and outings around this time of year (there's only 5 months to go ya know. I know it seems like plenty of time but now is the time to start getting prepared so that you're not overwhelmed when the holiday arrives.). So every month on the 25th day (which is considered Rudolph Day) I'll do a vintage theme Christmas post. Maybe it will be about decorations, maybe about holiday planning. Who knows?!!? Just count on it being holiday-y!

Also Project Cape Cod is about to be in full swing!!! We have talked to our landlord and this will definitely be the last year in this apartment. When our lease is up next summer we hope to move into a place that will be in the location where we eventually plan on buying. We are thinking of looking farther from the city than initially planned. That way I'll be closer to work. It's a little scary. I never thought we'd be looking to settle outside of NYC but it's becoming more and more of a possibility. We'll see how everything pans out and I'll keep you all posted!

Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!!

Stay cool!!

xoxo