A Gentleman Caller

Today was my third 'at home'.  Guest doubled this week and I had my first gentleman caller, Joshua.  Joshua is my nephew, I am three years older than he is.  Mind you he didn't dress up to visit, this is how he dresses on a regular basis.  He actually had to leave early for an appointment at his tailor.  Dandy!

I have been experimenting with my hair-you might have noticed in my Easter post.  I had to play with the photo a bit to try to give you a good look.  The look I am going for is a matronlyish Gloria Swanson with bangs.  I am nearly 40 years old and have 4 children I want to love my age and wear it with grace.  

Easter In The Pink House

Leg o' lamb.  This was our second year preparing it and I have decided I do not like it.

  You see here a clay tomb the girls made and the nativity.  We tell a little story of how Jesus' birth ties in to his death.

I love this one.  A true photo of our holiday kitchen.

Egg hunt!

Making pita bread

Easter bonnet craft

Part of the Easter gang.  It started pouring about 30 seconds after this was taken.

Vintage Grandbabies

Last night we packed a (large)box of vintage baby clothes away.  We are pretty sure we are all done having babies, so what are we going to do with all these adorable clothes?  Save them for our grandbabies of course!  I love thinking of how much older they will be then.  

This 1940's suit I am keeping out for Dotty to wear this summer.

Love detail

Imagine all the ironing!

A peek at my favorites

Only one of my girls used one, yet somehow I have about 10 christening gowns.  Two from the late 1800's.

Papa does all the folding because he is a perfectionist.

 My work always looks so sloppy next to his on the laundry table.

8:21p.m.

Retro Lips

My favorite lipstick is Mac's Retro.  As you can see I have been wearing it since our wedding almost 17 years ago.  I had my makeup done at the Mac counter and it is the one the gal put on me.  I loved it and at that point in my life "Retro" was a very cool name.  I had worn truer reds up until then and still do occasionally, but my standby is Retro.  I like it's subtle glamour and describe it as a red in sepia tones.

Do you have a favorite that isn't true red?  

Rarebit Fiends

Tonight Papa made Welsh Rarebit for me, the girls and our niece Solanah.  This was our first time having the cheesy toast and it was yummy!  Reminded of fondue that comes already spread.

He also read the preface of this book from 1901.  The author claims his literary club would indulge in late night welsh rarebit, causing wild dreams they would then come together and share.  The book is a collection of those dreams put to story.  

We watched Winsor McCay's 'Dreams Of A Rarebit Fiend' which he animated in 1912 and also 1921. He was the originator of all Walt Disney is given credit for.  Walt even said it took Disney years to catch up to what McCay had already accomplished. 

Winsor McCay travelled the vaudeville circuit with his characters Gertie the Dinosaur and Little Nemo. 

Of course we have to have pie!  My mom sent over this lovely cream cheese pineapple number.  Yes I know, it is huge!

Let the dreams begin.  Grace in slumberland. 

My First At Home

Fueling up

  My attempt to lose a few pounds conflicts with my number one form of hospitality-food.  So I was happy to come up with this low ww point trifle.

Coffee, tea or chai?

I always leave dishes on the drain board because a house too tidy isn't comfortable. 

I like the girls to be involved.

 Incense to battle the smell of our Bostie.

All ready.

I am wanting to be more hospitable and decided to pick up the lost Victorian tradition of "At Homes".  Today was my first.  I was a little nervous no one would come.  It is hard to simply put out an open weekly invitation and then wait.  Two of my wonderful friends showed up and we had a great visit while the children played.  I look forward to next week.  I'll keep you posted!

Clarification: Tattoos Part 2

Well it seems some are bothered by my Tattoo 2 blog.  The part where I state:
 "Also to all the tattooed masses out there I wish you could stop complaining about people judging you for your tattoos.  Yes, they will judge you, say dumb things, and sometimes strangers will reach out and touch your tattoos.  You have put yourself in that position, deal with it or invest in a sweater."
I was not saying such behavior is acceptable rather it should be expected.  If you didn't know people  might judge you because of your tattoos or ask rude questions then I question your intelligence.  As a person who couldn't even bring myself to let my father know I had tattoos until I was 35,  I know it can be hurtful to be judged in this way.  I can only work on changing others opinions with actions and behavior, but cannot demand to be respected and expect results.
The comment was made more to those with tattoos who seem to thrive on the cycle of negativity.
  Because tattoos are more mainstream than ever those looking to use them as a form of rebellion are left disappointed.  To compensate whenever a remark is made it is spotlighted-for example as a status update.  A person newly tattooed often falls into this because it's new and they want to feel part of the club.  But after 20+ years in the tattoo community I can tell you that gets old.  Sure, I could tell you stories of the rudeness we as a family have endured but I choose not to focus on that, because for the most part we are treated just like everyone else or I have stopped paying attention to it at all.
The whole point is tattooed or not tattooed, traditional style or tribal armband, vintage or vintage repro, recycling or upcycling, homeschool or public, Montessori or Waldorf, etc... we all are people and we have preferences.  Opinions are great and blogs are a fun place to share them- (look this is mine.)  People are welcome to respectfully disagree and you can comment as such.  I try to write true to myself and I hope to "meet" people who share my interests, although we do not have to agree on everything.   I hope not to offend people-not because I want "followers" but because I want to be kind.  

Okie Gals: Dorothy

This is my great Aunt Dorothy, that we named our little Dot after.  She lived only long enough to meet our firstborn, Ruth. (same name as her oldest sister)  As you can see, she was the most glamorous of all the Okies in my family, waitressing instead of working in the fields.  I have one dress of hers that hopefully someday, once again, will fit.

A story I love is the time one of her husbands came home after boozin' and cat'n around only to pass out cold.  She took a bottle of red nail polish and painted his schlong.  Waking up to a thick coat of lacquer to remove had to be pretty uncomfortable!  

She also had a Boston Terrier named King that I remember from when I was very young.  This Boston figurine was hers and given to me.

Tattoos Part 2

I while back I did this post here, to address all the talk about whether or not you can be true vintage with tattoos.  The point basically was, no you can't, but not because of your tattoos rather because of the fact we live in 2011.
Now I'd like to show the reverse side of that coin and chat a bit about tattoo snobbery.  To be fair I have to state as a tattooed woman I am slightly biased.  I'll come right out and tell you that when I see a gal in vintage and and a certain style of tattoos I give her (often mistakenly) more 'credibility' -(whatever that means!)  I left any scene many years ago, although I brought my tattoos and vintage clothing with me.  I love running into older gals like myself and clothing and tattoos are one way I recognize them.  We have a bit of shared history-like running into someone from your graduating class.
 My closest friends though do not wear vintage or have many tattoos-if any.  It's refreshing!
My issue is with tattooed women feeling superior to those not tattooed or not tattooed with THE right kind of tattoos.  My opinion is traditional styled tattoos go best with vintage clothing- BUT a tattoo does not have to be custom, meaningful or traditional style to be a good tattoo.   I have seen many bad tattoos that contain all these elements.  Get tattooed with what you want.  There is nothing wrong with walking in and choosing a design off the wall (gasp!) if that is what you want.  A good tattoo is a good tattoo and a bad one is just that.   My hope is that gals love their own tattoos-good or bad. (most are fortunate not to know the difference so keep your opinion to yourself)  Just like your clothing they are a reflection of you, not someone else's ideal.
Also to all the tattooed masses out there I wish you could stop complaining about people judging you for your tattoos.  Yes, they will judge you, say dumb things, and sometimes strangers will reach out and touch your tattoos.  You have put yourself in that position, deal with it or invest in a sweater.
Now let's all look pretty and play nice.

Beaded Napkins

We have this pottery water dispenser from back when we used bottled water. (for shame!)  We now sink fill it each morning so Dotty can get her own drinks.   Without the 5 gallon jug on top there wasn't a way to keep it covered.   We used square cloth napkins and the girls sewed beads around the edges to help them stay in place.  (We had doilies similar to this covering water pitchers at the Montessori school where I worked.)  Problem solved!