Developing good habits is exactly what the main purpose of this project is. I have lots of habits, some good, some bad. It's a way of self-improvement, after all, don't we all need a bit of self improvement every now and again? I watched a video yesterday from the Prelinger Archives about poor Barbara. Barbara was a creature of bad habits. After watching this video, I couldn't help but to hear that condescending voice this morning as my alarm went off once again to rise and shine to make the family breakfast, "Unfortunately BARBARA you've got some bad habits. This is how your day started, it started WRONG! Your neighbor Helen, she's a creature of habit too, but she got up when the alarm went off because BARBARA, that what she had in mind when she SET IT". I think that's forever embedded in my head. Poor Barbara. Poor Me!
According to the Good Housekeeping 1946 October issue, here's a few BAD habits that can affect your good looks:
Yes, I have a couple of these bad habits too, especially the reading late at night, which is probably, like Barbara, the reason why I like to hit the snooze alarm too! My next goal will be to work on going to bed at a certain hour and waking up at a certain hour EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. According to a few sleep studies, if you get into the habit of waking up everyday at the same time, your body becomes it's own alarm clock, and you'll just naturally wake up at that hour. Well, one can hope, right? Waking up and not feeling tired would be great too.
In that same issue, they have a list of habits that you should do in the morning, and the evening.
Morning Habits:
Get out of bed and drink one big glass of water
Brush teeth carefully
Wash your face gently with a clean washcloth, mild soap, and warm water. Splash on a cool toner and open your eyes. [They know me well, I do everything in the morning with my eyes closed]
Put on a bit of powder to take away the soap and water shine.
Put on some bright, pretty lipstick
Brush out all night time tangles from your hair, comb into place, pinning securely.
Take a last look.... are you impeccable from head to toe [always! lol!]
Now here are the evening habits:
Get out of your clothes and into the tub! Coat yourself throughly with a sudsy lather and don't spare the elbow grease. [seriously, i'm THAT dirty?!] Rinse well. Do face separately at the bathroom faucet.
Rub yourself dry so that you tingle all over and chest and back turn a healthy pink
Don't forget about deodorant under your arms!
Give your crowning glory a good swishing of the brush, dampen ends and pin hair up.
Brush teeth carefully
Down with a nice, big glass of water and off to bed!
As well they give weekly habits:
Shampoo and rinse hair six or seven times until it squeaks clean [no way, six or SEVEN times?!] Perhaps you might need a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to bring out the "sunlit" luster. [um, honey, what's that vinegar smell?]
Clip toenails
File fingernails, push back cuticles, apply polish that matches your lipstick
De-fuzz legs and underarms.
Pluck scraggly eyebrows
Go over clothes and mend, clean, and brush as necessary.
I'm not sure how I'm going to plan the next mission as it seems that good morning habits begin with good evening habits. Something to think about as I start to come to the end of my first mission.
As far as the outcome of Mission: Breakfast, I think overall it's been a success. I have woken up and everyone has eaten a healthy breakfast. Sure there were a few grumbles along the way, but a few highlights as well. I've found our youngest daughter wants to eat "strawberries and wheat" [shredded wheat] nearly everyday and after she gets home from school. I do feel good about making sure they are eating well, although I'm still working out how to get the kids all at the table at once. Their night time routines will have to change too, to make for better morning routines. Overall, I think we are off to a great start and as we continue, the kinks will work themselves out.
I think the key to developing habits is to take it slow and easy. They say habits form in 14 days... I think in my case it maybe longer. I'd love for the habits I form to come naturally.... I'm all for giving it my best shot!
How are your habits? Do you have any habits your trying to change or things your trying to incorporate into your daily schedule?
One thing I love about Jitterbug's blog posts are the fact that she has weekly missions. Sometimes these missions end up going longer than a week, at least until she feels they begin to feel like a habit. Knowing my personality, this is exactly the way I need to approach my project.
photo taken December 1944
The first mission is... breakfast! Why breakfast? Because in order to start anything during the day, the body needs fuel. No sense puttering around on an empty stomach! In the 1940's housewives were taught the value of making a healthy, nutritious breakfast. Without breakfast Jim is irritable at work, he can't concentrate fully and his work suffers, his boss notices how Jim seems to just "not be in it", and offers that promotion to Bob instead. In the evenings he's so fatigued he doesn't want to romp with the children! Jimmy Jr. suffers in school without a hearty, healthy breakfast... his mind doesn't want to focus on his numbers when he lacks energy and is so run down. Even when the guys ask him to play ball he seems to run around the bases slower than molasses! Poor Jimmy Jr.! If mom skips breakfast she'll be paying for it all morning... she's so sluggish that getting her morning routine done is overly exhausting... no time for afternoon pick me up naps, there's still so much that needs to be done before Jim gets home! The cupcakes for the school party?! Oh no, mom has completely forgot about it because her mind just isn't as sharp as it would be with a nice, well rounded breakfast.
Ah, while my story maybe 1940's fiction, it is true. Without a healthy breakfast it makes tackling the day even tougher! 2011 me, would say that doughnuts, prepackaged muffins, marshmallow cereals, honey buns, etc. all fit on the breakfast menu. They're easy to toss to the kids as they went out the door, but after studying a bit on the nutritional value (or lack there of), these sugar filled goodies did nothing but actually cause a "worse case scenario"... by pumping the body full of sugar treats, when the sugar crash came (as it always does) it leaves the family more tired than if they ate nothing at all!
So what are the 1940 options for breakfast? Of course there is always eggs and bacon, but here's a few 40's cereal ads:
All of these cereals are still available today, although my husband believes that feeding him Weetabix would equal torture.
So, how is the mission fairing? Well Sunday my husband had to work, so it was an off day, but nevertheless I managed to wake up at 6am, scramble eggs, make toast, and open a can of pears. Not bad to start. I do have to say also that it was quite peaceful, romantic even, to eat breakfast at such an early hour with the hubby. It was different, and something I could really get used to doing.
Today is considered an "off day" too, because the hubby was off work, so breakfast was for the kid's only today. They ate bite sized shredded wheat with strawberries and a glass of orange juice.
Now, the one thing that is rather concerning to me, is how the 1940's wife managed to get everyone fed. Did everyone leave at the same time? Our family's schedule looks like this:
Hubby leaves at 6:30a
Daughter leaves at 7a
Son leaves at 7:30a
I leave to take daughter to pre K at 7:45a
Son leaves at 7:55a
So, you see, the time frame for everyone waking up is different and mornings are generally just scattered all over. It works with cereal, because I can make each bowl, omitting the milk until the person's time to eat, but what about a hot breakfast? Did the 40's housewife make it at one setting? Surely she couldn't make breakfast 4-5 times, especially when housekeeping manuals spoke of the important of being efficient with your time. Was she to reheat for each person? Microwaves certainly weren't available, so was it placed in the oven at a low temp to keep warm? I wonder.....
These are obstacles that I will have to over come because morning is such a hectic time for us. I've also learned that preparing for the morning the night before is extremely helpful. When a little one washes dishes, it's important she actually *run* the dishwasher otherwise hand washing will take valuable time! Also making lunches as much as possible the night before saves time when you need to prepare breakfast.
My mission this week is to also find out from the kids how they feel energy wise and if eating a healthy breakfast makes them feel as if they have more energy to go about their day.
Tomorrow's menu? Ham, Eggs, Pineapple & Milk
Tomorrow will also be my first 'normal' day as hubby goes back to his M-F schedule for awhile, and kid's will be off to school.
As I am feeling much better, I think it's high time that my project get underway!
Today is March 10, 1940. It's day 192 in World War II. In the news, Finnish negotiators will meet with Moscow leaders to revise a peace treaty, but the Soviets will not "change a single comma". Mussolini is informed of Hitler's plan to invade France and promises a swift victory. The German's want Italy to join forces with them in the war, but Mussolini decides to sit on the sidelines and wait to see what happens. The US Undersecretary of State met with the British Prime Minister to discuss a peace proposal.
But today, in my 1940's world, I'm learning how to plan meal time! In my 2011 world, meal time usually means stress time. I have occasionally, but not usually, plan out our meals. Grocery shopping trips usually consist of grabbing a cart, roaming the aisles, grabbing the "usuals", rejoicing if something is on sale, checking out, then head home to put it all away, forgetting about it until I hear that dreadful squeal of one of the kids saying "I'm hungrrrryyyyy". At that time I usually scour the cabinets to see "what there is to eat". This method is no doubt stressful, and inconvenient (as I usually forget something along the way and have to ask dear hubby to stop at the store on his way home to pick up whatever I (opps!) forgot!
America's Cook Book ( ) in an introduction spoke about war time housekeeping, "Every homemaker has been drafted and the kitchen apron is her uniform! American women are standing up to daily battles as monumental as the fronts as they battle the supply and demand, food values against food shortages..." "... their smallest decisions hang tremendous results".... "health and moral depend on it!".... "women can hasten or retard our final Victory!" Wow, talk about a pep talk! It's time to take charge of the family's food intake!
America's Housekeeping Book states this about menu planning:
"If menu's are planned and written down several days ahead, marketing will be easier and less costly. You will find it possible to take advantage of "week-end specials," to plan for leftovers, and to provide more variety in the meals you serve your family. Cooking ability is a big help in cutting food costs, because inexpensive foods, skillfully prepared, often top higher-priced foods in flavor, health value and "appetite appeal".
In today's modern world, grocery circulars usually have week long sales, HOWEVER... there are occasional 3-day sales at my grocery store, and also days where the meat and dairy department reduce the price of items that are nearing the sale date. If your stores have similar type sales, it would be wise to check with the manager of the store and see if they reduce items on a certain day of the week.
There are a few things to consider when planning meals:
Nutrition. Making sure your family gets all the needed vitamins and minerals for daily intake!
Taste. They have to enjoy eating it (saves stress of you having to try to force it down the family's throat!)
Budget. Stretching the family dollar is very important in any economical times, but especially important when times are tough!
Time Constraints. Depending upon what you have going on, you don't want to find yourself making a 2-hour meal when you have to serve rushing family members who are leaving for practice in 30 minutes!
In the 1940's there were 7 food groups... and our government promoted good eating habits with posters such as this:
School Posters reminded little one's of what they should be eating:
These posters remind me of what our current First Lady, Michelle Obama is trying to do with encouraging good eating habits in our schools. I wonder if people in the 1940's were against such posters being in schools and workplaces encouraging American's to eat right in order to stay strong, fight fatigue, protect yourself from illness, and build strong teeth and bones? I may not agree with many of our current President's standings, but I think Mrs. Obama is on the right track with encouraging our children to eat healthy, nutritious meals.
Here is a chart from America's Cook Book (1943) that shows how much food a family should consume per week:
Browsing through a couple of my 1940's women's magazines, I came across a homemaker that shared her tips on meal planning. According to her, she takes a large sheet of paper and rules into squares "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner" everyday for two weeks. Then she consults her recipe book, keeping in mind the seasonal foods available at the market. She says the better a work plan the more leisure time a housewife has.
That sounds very doable to me, my only concern is budgeting food for two weeks. Fresh vegetables, even in today's refrigerator tend to wilt easily and well, let's face it... I have four children and if they see that much food in the house, a two week supply can quickly become a one week supply unless it's under lock and key!
As far as food costs, America's Housekeeping Book has a detailed plan for you to follow as well to keep track of your monthly spending. Here's the plan:
Keep a detailed food record for a month
Separate food costs into these categories:
Cereal foods (Bread, whole grains, flours)
Fruits & Vegetables
Meat, Fish & Eggs
Milk & Cheese (and other dairy)
Fats/Sugar & Miscellaneous
"A modest income in order to have a balanced diet, not far from 1/5 of the food money should go to these five groups. A simple check for a family with children is to spend as much for milk as for fruits and vegetables; and to spend as much for milk as for meats. There is also the fundamental milk rule to use a quart a day for children and a pint a day for adults."
Remember those little milk containers we used to drink at school? Those are 1/2 pints, so a child would need to drink 4 of those a day to equal a quart of milk a day. There are 4 quarts in one gallon, so according to the "fundamental milk rule", my family (kid's only!) should go through a gallon of milk a day! At $2.69 gal x 7= that's $18.83 a week in milk alone! In relation, milk in 1940 cost 34 cents, or in today's price of $4.14 a gallon. So while 34 cents a gallon sounds nice, it's really not. Believe it or not, food prices have actually declined over the years! That's puts our milk family's milk consumption into prospective!
The manual also says, "Another useful food check is one's total food cost, which will vary from about 25 cents per person per day to 50 cents per person per day. To do this, find the monthly food bill and divide it by 30 or 31 for the daily food cost and this again by the number of person's in the family. If in a family with children the daily food cost per person is 25 cents than you can't do much better than that as a minimal cost; 40 cents per person per day should represent a modest cost for food, and 50 cents per person would be a liberal cost."
So, again using the inflation calculator, here's today's values...
One's total food cost will vary from about $3.05 per person per day to $6.11 per person per day.
In my family's case, then a monthly grocery bill would range from $549 - $1099.80. Currently we average anywhere from $600-$800 on groceries, so I'd like to try to see how close I can budget with meal planning to the $549 figure. We also don't use many coupons now, so I can see how that would help reduce meal costs.
The Woman's Home Companion Book (1948) says that your food budget should equal 33% of your net (after tax) income.
So, with this newfound information at hand, I'll grab my large piece of paper, block it off for the week, and begin to schedule my meals for the upcoming week... Friday is market day!
My project was to begin March 1, but alas, I've been struck with the flu. As I take my modern day medicines, I can't help but to wonder how they would've suffered with such ailments in the 1940's! Of course when I wonder such things, I turn to Google! It was actually in the 1940's when they came up with a crude vaccine to help prevent the flu but it wasn't until the 60's that the vaccination was truly effective. The 1940's era was also famous for public advertisement posters. Here is one that encourages people to cover up when they sneeze... and above all else~ NO SPITTING!
I'd love to see more posters like this in today's modern world. You'd think that we wouldn't need to be told not to spit in public, but just a couple of weeks ago (pre-flu!) I saw a woman (no less!) outside a strip mall who leaned over a rail and spit! Gross!! How unlady like!! Not that it's ever pleasant to see a man spit, but to see a woman do it was just somehow worse in my eyes. I had never thought before that spitting helps spread disease, but I can surely see how that would happen! I feel for the person that walks by and accidentally steps in it (bleah!) and then it's on their shoe, then on the carpet of the car, if she puts her purse or something down, germs can attach to that, you pick it up, and before you know it, the germs are on your hand! Wow... Germaphobia? Maybe... but that's how things spread and we need to be conscious of how our actions can affect others.
While working on recouping from this sickness, I've had a chance to read up on blogs and my housekeeping books. One of the housekeeping books I am using is "America's Housekeeping Book" from 1945 and I have also come across the blog "Destination 1940" where she is using the same manual to revisit 1940. It's nice to read and gather someone else's interpretation of the manual. I know that by reading her blog, some things just clicked with me, especially with the daily morning schedule. So I'm so pleased to have found her blog and wanted to share it!
I am pleased to say that yesterday I felt well enough to cut out the pattern for the button down shirt I will be making. I chose this pattern for various reasons. First, I'd like to have a casual, work around the house button down blouse, and next, it is a fairly detailed blouse, so I figure if I can tackle the level of difficulty in this blouse, everything else will be easy peasy! It's going to be a pink and white check shirt, and I'm thinking I'd love to make a matching navy high waisted skirt. I'll keep you posted on how it comes along!
I wanted to make a round cake the other day, but I realized I didn't have any round cake pans. In my modern day mind, my first thought was "guess I can get some at Wal-Mart", but then I began to think... where would the 1940 me buy cake pans at? What was really scary is, I couldn't remember where I would have bought this at before Wal-Mart! I mean Wal-Mart's have been around since the 70's, but where I grew up it wasn't until the late 80's-early 90's that Wal-Mart arrived in our community. Before then, K-Mart was the big box store of choice. So, what was the big box store in the 1940's? F.W. Woolworth!
Woolworth was opened in 1878, and in 1979 was considered to be the world's largest department store. Woolworth's were eventually replaced by KMarts, Targets, and Wal-Marts. In fact, Wal-Mart purchased many of the Woolworth's in Canada. Now, the only company Woolworth still owns is Foot Locker.
Ah, I just got the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine and in this month's issue is all about gardening! In those big, glossy pages I see yummy fruits and veggies that I am so anxious to try my hand at this year! Lately the word "gardening" is associated with being green... save the planet and all that kind of stuff, but our grandparents and great-grandparents were gardening way before green was "in" and it was done FOR FOOD! It wasn't done as a hobby, but rather a necessity! You couldn't just run to the market and buy whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted! Check out this video....
My gardening methods are going to follow my approach of "vintage living in a modern world." I would like to have a very 1940's type garden in the sense of the types of heirloom seeds I use, but certainly not in the area of pesticides. I studied up on the approach of pest control and well, a 1942 "Basic Horticulture" book recommends that one use arsenate of lead to kill troublesome pests. Yeah, lead doesn't sound good to me either, but even if someone tried to be authentic and use it, they couldn't because it was banned as a pesticide by the US in 1988... besides it's known to be cancerous, and generally... not a good idea to use! ;) The 1940's-50's is when chemical agents began to be used not only by the professional farmer, but by home gardeners. Studies showed that household growers were actually using more of the chemicals than the professional farmers! Many hybrid plants and seeds began to "sprout" up. (sorry for the pun, lol!) At an age when they needed a quick harvest, science evolved and produced seeds to fit the need. (Although many times taste is greatly affected!) Previous generations spent the time collecting seeds from their own gardens to use again for the next year's garden, and even had seed swap parties! (sounds fun!!) As time went on, many gardeners decided not to collect seeds and rather just purchase the seeds from the garden store. As a result, many seed varieties are near extinct. Seed Savers is an online non-profit resource where you can purchase heirloom seeds!
Here is another interesting video that shows how gardening was in the 1940's:
The first step to any successful Victory Garden is planning! Don't be like dad and grandpa, and have a plan in your head! Any good Victory Garden needs to be planned out on paper! :)
There is a lot to think about when starting a garden, and the first thing I think about is soil. That is because I live outside of Atlanta, GA and our soil is red clay. While I could opt to have the soil tested to see whether or not lime or gypsum would help treat the soil, I've opted for keeping things simple. Raised beds. By building raised beds I can add in the type of soil that will best for growing fruits and veggies. Not to mention save me many frustrating hours trying to dig up rock hard land!
Raised beds can be made of different materials... rocks, landscape stones, cement block, pine board (which will last 2-3 years) or cedar/redwood (which will last 5yr.+). I'm not sure yet how I'm going to design the beds as I have been looking at so many beautiful layouts of raised beds.
I'm also aware that we have rabbits, deer, snakes and other critters that are anxiously awaiting me to plant a garden! So I'll have to design a barrier to prevent them from being able to eat all of my harvest! Our subdivision was built in a fairly rural area and once you exit, you see homes that have sheep, cattle, horses, etc. Well outside our subdivision is a good sized garden area and an elderly lady tends to it every year. Not with big power equipment, but rather with simple garden tools. I've watched her every year plant new crops and she really is an inspiration to me! Her garden is right off the road and she uses wire to keep the deer and other animals at bay. Apparently it works, and I might have to do that very thing!
Searching out seeds has been a slow work in progress. Here are a few great sites to check out:
The Victory Seeds Company When you click on the description of the fruit/veggie seed it will tell you when it was produced.
Seed Savers They also sell transplants of tomato's, peppers, and ground cherries
A couple of other things to keep is mind is knowledge of your planting zone. My zone is 7B. Here is a planting zone map that is very specific in helping you find out what zone you are in.
It's also important to know when the last frost is because you can't begin planting outdoors until the last frost has past. Victory Seeds has a helpful chart that you can use to help find your last frost date also. Also remember it takes 6-7 weeks to grow container seedlings so now is the time to get started on those seedlings!
There's a lot of research yet to be done, but I'm hoping my garden will be a place for me to relax, spend time outdoors, and possibly have a sitting area that I can just reflect with a cup of tea and watch the plants grow in the early morning hours.... or enjoy an evening watching fireflies dance.
I've been thinking a lot on my last post. (Great thoughts can come in the middle of the night!) and I've put together a list of objectives or goals that I'd like to accomplish throughout my project. Here's just a few:
To plant a fruit and vegetable garden
Refrain from buying new clothing for 1 year (sew, thrift, vintage shops, ok) My only exception to this rule is undergarments. I refuse to buy used.... ew.
Volunteer more often.
Build my homemaking skills with gradual lifelong routines.
Teach my daughters (9 & 4) age appropriate basic sewing and cooking skills.
Come up with a reasonable daily schedule that incorporates housekeeping, beauty routines, me time, volunteer time, party time, etc.
Cook from vintage cookbooks and explore the variety
Blog consistently on my progress
Obtain a beauty regime routine
Continue exploring, learning and researching about the 30s, 40's, 50's.
Review vintage movies on Friday's
Incorporate the positive aspects of vintage living into a modern lifestyle
Learn how to do old Hollywood hairstyles
Previously, I blogged about how much my great-grandmother was a real inspiration to me. So today, I thought... what fun it would be to start my journey the same year that she was my age! So, since I'm going to turn 30-something this year, I decided to use that age... which makes it the round figure year of 1940!
So my research will begin in 1940.... and, not being perfect, my journey shall begin starting the 1st of March. I'm not exactly sure how long it will last... I'm hoping at least a year.
Of course to start my journey I'm going to need a few clothes... so I want to get busy sewing. The pattern I've chosen is from 1954, but I'll get closer to my time frame in my next design. This is just a simple short sleeve shirt:
I plan to make it like Version 3 with a bit shorter sleeve but with a full button front like Version 2. I figure since I'm using this as a general around the house work shirt, I can test the waters with my sewing skills again.
Here's a picture of my sewing room.... waiting to be used. (Sorry, the pic is a bit darker than I would like since it's a night shot, but hay... no one's perfect, right?! Besides, I usually find myself working here in the wee hours of the night anyway!) It's also a hard room to take a photo of because it's a loft, so I was sorta leaning over the steps... ekkk....
Here's a few funny clips from "I Love Lucy"... The first one is Lucy's attempt at sewing a dress in order to save money on the budget.... very, very funny!
I could really relate to this next video.... Lucy and Ethel decide to explore the past and try living like it's the 1900's!
Sure makes me wish I had a "vintage friend" that lived close by.... it would be more fun with an Ethel around, LOL!
“Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time” - Voltaire
Ok, I admit it. I am a perfectionist. I don't claim that as always being a positive thing. To me it can equal one of two things... A.) It excels me to levels that make me unbelievably proud to B) never starting things because of a general fear that it won't be "perfect"... which can lead a lot of things left undone. This I am certainly *not* proud of!
My blog is just an example. See, I have these ideas in my head how each post must be, and because I want it "just right", I skip a night, then another, then another waiting to get everything "perfect". It's true that I think of vintage living 24/7 now and I am implementing small actions into my life... it's just I'm not able to live the lifestyle (in my mind) because I don't have the "things" to live it perfectly. I love to read "My 50's Year" blog, and she tends to reflect on her "modern life" verse her "vintage life". That said, I think the 2011 me is thinking in modern times... I want it instantly. I want a magic fairy to just pop down, wave her wand, and give me a vintage wardrobe, with a vintage haircut (that I automatically know how to style, of course!), I'd love a fully clean and organized home so that I can just implement the daily routines and just whisk around all day on cloud 9. I want to blog about this magical lifestyle that I've just instantly created. Only thing is, there is no magic fairy. I'm a mom to 4 kids, so tossing out my jeans and t-shirt wardrobe and heading out to vintage shops in Atlanta and spending til the closet is full again just ain't gonna happen. (yes, I know I said ain't!.... cuz it ain't!) lol! In order for me to obtain a wardrobe of my desires, it means I have to spend time at my sewing machine. It means that it will take spring and summer weekends at various thrift stores, antique markets, and yard sales in hopes to find a piece I like, at a price I like. It will most certainly take time. Ah, time.... society, in general, really doesn't like anything that takes TIME anymore.... we live in such an instant "microwaveable" society that we haven't got patience to do anything slowly. Yesterday I was on facebook, and I kept seeing post after post about who was getting the brand new i-phone that was just released hours before. That's how we are now. When something comes out, we have to INSTANTLY have it. If we don't have funds to pay for it instantly, we look to the gold card... oh wait, it's gone platinum now. Ah, yes.... Titanium V.I.P. Exclusive Cards are next, I'm sure of it. Of course if we actually saved up the cash to buy anything it would be obsolete as soon as we had the funds... but it's not just technology, it's about whatever we want. We want it... and we want it now. Our advertising today focuses on that "greed" of society.... here's just a few of today's commercials...
or how about this credit card commercial....
Ah, yes... Chase what matters.... and what matters is that you get whatever you want.... NOW! It really makes us sound like a generation of spoiled little brats, now doesn't it? What if we went without?? I'm sure we'd probably stop our feet, stick out that bottom lip and pout about how "life isn't fair". I'd like to say that I'm not apart of this generational curse we all seem to be under, but I'd be lying. If there is ever something I really and truly want, I can always somehow manipulate the budget to "fit it in" and then worry about it later. This is an aspect of myself that I would like to change as my project moves forward.
I have been continually thinking about my project, and yes, I realize that the magic vintage fairy isn't about to wave her little wand and make me the vintage diva instantly. My inner spoiled brat is still pouting that there isn't a real vintage fairy to begin with... *sigh* So it's time for me to really tap into my inner vintage self. To dig deep past the "I want it all, and I want it now" mentality... so I've spent many fond hours recently thinking of my great grandmother. I was blessed to have known her for 18 years of my life. She lived next door to me and I grew up basically at her feet. As I read various blogs about others who are living vintage lifestyles whether it be 30's, 40's, or 50's, they will talk about how things used to be done, and it will trigger a thought of "OH! So THAT'S why my grandma did that!".... and it makes me appreciate knowing her more. Now that I am getting so mentally involved with my project, I wish that I had a chance to ask her so many questions about the lifestyle of the 1930's-40's... I wonder what her view of the depression era was like or what about WWII... in which she lost her first husband. Up until she was able she used to keep a very large garden and grew all kinds of vegetables. In the yard my grandfather had planted various fruit trees, which gradually over the years have succumb to rot and have been cut down. My grandmother used to can tomatoes, beets, pickles, and strawberry jam. She always loved doing it... and the kitchen was always a bustle while canning was going on! I can remember being shooed out of the kitchen more than once out of fear that a boil or pop from the pan would land on me. Those are happy memories for me, because I can picture the white counters and appliances, the bright yellow paint color, and all of the old enamel pans, linens and well, it simply felt cozy and wonderful. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to vintage living... simplicity. Bright. Cheerful... and a determination that if it needed to be done, we will just simply get it done... and it will be done with a smile and in love. If there is someone for me to look up to in my vintage journey, it really is my great-grandma. Recently, my mom gave me my grandmother's old jewelry box. Inside there was a newspaper clipping to a berry farm advertisement (she loved strawberry jam... ate it nearly every morning on toast!) but there was another clipping that read:
"Someone has said that there are four kinds of 'BONES' in every organization."
"There are the WISHBONES, who spend their time wishing someone else would do all the work."
"There are the JAWBONES who do all the talking, but very little else"
"Next, there are the KNUCKLEBONES, who knock everything anyone ever tries to do"
"And finally, there are the BACKBONES, who get under the load and do the work."
My grandma was definitely a backbone! I want to be a backbone too! So what does all this mean? Well, it means that I'm going to have to grow... and like a seed, it's going to take time. If I just blogged about my perfect vintage life, I wouldn't be able to share with you how I grew to get at that point... and honestly, isn't sharing the bumps and bruises of growing how we learn from each other? So I'm not perfect (gasp!). It's true... honestly, I'm not even close to it, but I had someone in my life who I can look up to. Someone who, although they weren't perfect either, lived a lifestyle of giving to others in love. Someone who wasn't afraid to get under the load and work! I knew my grandmother in her later years (60's-80's), but I can imagine she was probably a very hands on, get it done kind of mamma! After all, she was a single mom while her husband was in the war. I imagine that she was one of those women who were fighting the war on the homefront... planting her victory garden and harvesting! Doing what she could do at home to help out the efforts.
The type of advertising my grandmother was seeing would have been WWII posters like:
The advertising wasn't focused on "me, me, me"... but rather, "What can I do to help?", doing without, and rather then thinking of the here and now, focusing on the future... and preparing today for tomorrow.
Do we do that today? Do we actively save for our retirements to live comfortably (on a continually falling dollar), or are we squandering it on the latest iphone just to please our own inner spoiled brats? Are we focused on helping our neighbors? Do we even know our neighbors? Do we volunteer or is our time to wrapped up in being "too busy" doing something for ourselves, or our kids. These are questions I ask myself. Uncomfortably, sometimes I don't like the answers I give myself. I can continue to push down and ignore the inner brat in me, but honestly, I'd rather deal with it because in the end, I really think it's time to grow and become a better person. There is a me I'm striving to be, and no, there isn't a vintage fairy who will magically change me, but rather this will be a slow, gradual change.... a lifestyle change. I quoted Voltaire at the beginning of my blog, “Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time”. This is truly my thoughts this evening. I plan to take time to blog, even if it isn't a "perfect" post, just to gather thoughts, motivate myself, track my journey, and who knows, maybe inspire one or two people along the way. =)
Tomorrow I will share with you how I've been cleaning out my hall closet as well as my sewing room, and show you my first vintage pattern I'm working on.
