Pretty Things All In A Row...

Layla Grace

2010-02-22T21:05:00.004-07:00

Maybe I have just not been around long enough to have ever seen this store before, but now that I'm in "baby" mode, I'm looking around for ways to decorate our baby's room for it's arrival (I have about 8 months to work on it!). Well, late last night, in the wee hours...the hours when your eyes are stinging and every ounce of your body is telling you to go to bed...I came across this site and it is everything I could ever dream right now....dripping in linen and gorgeousness: Layla Grace

I'm definitely going to dream about Layla Grace's Bella Notte collection. Leave it to me to fall in love with a $242 cribskirt. Read that again. It said "cribskirt", not "cribset". One piece. The skirt.

I equally love this crib set as well:

{Source}

Weekend Treasures

2010-02-22T05:56:00.004-07:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing and productive weekend. The only days I feel productive are Saturday and Sunday!

Yesterday, as Jason did some work on our bathroom, I took a run to a few stores, including the local antique market, Tuesday Mornings and Target.

Now that we will be redecorating one of the spare rooms into a baby room, I wanted to get some inspiration. At this early stage (just 5 weeks along), it doesn't seem "smart" to go buying anything yet (though it sure is tempting), but I found some really cute things...one of which is an armoire that matches the armoire in my bedroom. Jason thinks that at the price it is marked, I should just buy it, baby or not. We love the one in our bedroom and could certainly use the other in another room. Below are some of my finds.

I just loved these pressed flowers behind glass. I know I can find something to do with these. Jason thinks they look too "country" but God, it was so beautiful in person. The photo doesn't do it justice.

These wood finials (I think that's what they're called) would look lovely on a fireplace mantle:

When Jason saw this picture, he nearly did a backflip. Love, love love, but he wishes it was a bit less expensive:

I am seriously considering this for the bathroom, which Jason is doing a marvelous job on! I'm procrastinating on making the show curtains. Last night I tried my first hem job and stopped before I got to the sewing machine. I'm very afraid of the sewing maching. It has no manual and I can't figure out what setting is the "hem stitch".

This is the matching armoire to the one we have. It's going to be bought by us this week! $120. Great for the baby's room, but even if not, we can certainly repurpose it:

I loved the look of this recycle bin. There were two, but they were $$$:

I would probably have never given these a second glance, had I not been pregnant. But these vintage baby bottles were so interesting. It's hard to imagine that babies would have been able to hold these things themselves. They are so heavy! These glass bottles are probably good to have if you want to microwave breastmilk or formula since it's not healthy to microwave them in plastic.

I'm fairly sure these are going to make it into Villa Villa. I **love** them!:

I'm so in love with mercury glass lately. Stupid question but is mercury glass bad for me if I'm pregnant? Or do I have to eat it for it to be bad for me? LOL!:

Well, that's all for today. And I still have 6 minutes to kill before I have to get in the shower and head out to work!

Happy Monday!

2010-02-18T23:21:00.007-07:00

**All Wedding Photos Copyrighted by Dana Hood and Jason Villanueva. Please do not republish without their written permission**

Well, now that we have another big announcement, I thought maybe it would be a good time to finally offer the well promised post about our wedding in Paris (back in November)!

I never dreamed I'd have a big or elaborate wedding. When I was a little girl, I didn't imagine who I'd marry, or the dress I'd wear, or the flowers I would use. I actually took that as a sign that I might never get married. But in November 2009, my fiance, Jason, and I, became husband and wife in Paris.

When he proposed, I started planning immediately and as we ladies know, the most important search is for our gown and accessories. After a great deal of searching and some disappointments, I finally found my dress (a Paloma Blanca), shoes and accessories. It looked something like this:

And my shrug, custom designed by Holly Stalder, which I ordered off etsy. Holly even incorporated the extra beads from my dress into the shrug:

All together, it looked something like this:

Prior to meeting Jason, I was leading a full life of independence, had a good career, and enjoyed fun travels. But something was missing. And I found that in January 2007. I found a man who was just as content by himself as I was by myself but together we made each other laugh, shared common interests and fell in love. He was a bit quirky and artistic (a graphic designer) and I've always been drawn to eclectic, artistic men. He had a very serious, almost hard, nature but he could totally throw you off guard with his childlike nature and wide smile that just makes you want to smile back, as well as his hearty laugh:

The two of us being goofy (in Paris):

And, like me, he revolved his world around his dog, Zac. Anyway, after a year of dating, we moved in together. And 8 months later, he proposed. :) As we discussed the type of wedding we would want, I said I really wanted to get married far away, just the two of us. Something simple. Neither of us are beach people, but both having traveled to Europe (me to Paris in 2004 and he to Italy to try out for the Italian street racing team), we both loved the idea of getting married in Paris. So we decided that Paris was it! Over the course of the next few months, we invited his mother and my mother and then our party grew to 9. So we rented an apartment in the St. Germain des Pres neighborhood of Paris for 7 days for our group and I planned an entire wedding at the American Church in Paris from 6,000 miles away with no help!

All in all, the distance did not prove to be an obstacle and with just 9 people, was still small enough to require little work and stay "simple". As a photographer, after the wedding, Jason wanted to focus more on taking photos of me (his model!) LOL! And I have to say, he certainly got several lovely ones:

And my favorite, as the weight of all the hard work melted away...in a tub...in a Paris bathroom:

A photo of Jason and Dana in the windows of our apartment, from down on the street:

And, now, for our big announcement. Seems we should both refocus our attention away from remodeling the bathrooms and instead remodel our spare "office" bedroom into another type of room:

This should be FUN! But we sure have alot to do before October!!

Best Blog Tips

2010-02-05T08:37:00.005-07:00

I am so thrilled to have discovered the world of blogs. I cannot tell you how inspired and motivated I have become just reading everyone's contributions and tips. I'm much better organized now! My favorite tip so far comes from Adventures In Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone. I love reading her blog and not only does she offer amazing tips (like the one below), but she generously designs and provides lots of downloadable freebies to help those of us who are in need of saving when it comes to organization!

Best tip of the YEAR!: Organizing and storing your paint remnants. This has to be one of the best ideas I have seen so far and I'm sure I'm not the first to repost it, but I don't want anyone to miss out on it!

Adventures outlines this great idea and offers a beautiful downloadbale paint can label on its January 10, 2010 entry titled "Simplifying Our Stash". How would you like your garage stash of paint cans to look like this?:

Source: Adventures In Renovating A Brooklyn Limestone

And while I didn't think it could get any better than those, while looking for my own empty paint cans, I came across these two at www.emptypaintcans.com:

Black Cans ($2 each when bought as a case):

Source: www.emptypaintcans.com

Clear paint cans ($6 each when bought as a case)

Source www.emptypaintcans.com

These are both full gallon sized, but they offer numerous options in the quart and pint size! Both these options would look terrific with Adventures downloadable label.

I can't wait to get started! I may start this project this weekend when my husband leaves for 7 days on a business trip. Surprise him when he gets home!

Fresh and Clean

2010-02-05T06:14:00.004-07:00

We have been renovating our master bathroom. Loving all things French, I was intent on doing the bathroom linens in a black and beige toile fabric, but when at Joann's recently, I came upon two patterns of fabric far different that I really love and could see in our bathroom. So, last night I showed those fabric swatches to my husband and he loved them! So, now I just have to buy my fabric and start sewing my shower curtains and towels.

I'm also developing a great vision for the design I would like for the bedroom. It's all just flowing lately. So, that's next. Here's an example of what I have in mind. I'm really in love with the fresh and clean feel of this bedroom. I love the soft colors and the lighting:

Photo by Southern Living

I think the color palette I want to use in the house is coming together nicely and I am hoping it all flows well together from room to room.

On a different note, I love how the color pops in this room:

Photo by Southern Living

My roses are all cut down in preparation of the coming Spring renewal. I can't wait for them to grow! I love gardens and I love vibrant colors in my yard. I came across this photo this morning and it makes me so excited for Spring:
Photo by Southern Living

Oh, Frances....

2010-02-04T06:16:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, I went an another 1-hour lunch mission to one of my favorite stores in Phoenix, Frances. Frances offers a storeload of unique trinkets, clothing and stationary. I love their letterpress cards. I almost bought a Marie Antoinette stick doll keychain. Here are a couple of the things I admired in the store:

If I had a child, this would DEFINITELY be a part of our household. It's so Alice In Wonderland!

(And, no, I didn't bring my new camera to work with me!)

Work in Progress

2010-02-02T05:53:00.004-07:00

I have a lot of work to do on this little blog. Will you bear with me while it does through some growing pains (i.e design changes)? Thanks. :)

:Snap:

2010-02-01T06:09:00.002-07:00

Guess what I got for my birthday??

Lunchcapades

2010-01-28T22:57:00.005-07:00

Before I start this entry, let me start by saying that I realize that I desperately need a new camera. I'm taunting you with these horrible images taken on my blackberry because I've lost my digital camera somewhere. This week is my birthday. I'm hoping that the gift my hubby has been hinting about is a new camera for my blogging!!!

Well, this week I ventured out of my office twice for lunch...visiting some of my favorite stops in Phoenix and picked out some of my favorite finds. You will see some new stuff but you will recognize my lovely obsession with glass. These pieces were ideal for what I want to do, but $$$$$$$$$. Yes, that's 9 $ signs. Why do I have such expensive taste??

So, without further adieu, here are my favorite finds:

Willows - 40th Street and Indian School Road

Paris Envy - 7th Ave - south of Camelback

This is the cabinet we considered for the remodeled bath (in progress) but it's an old piece and has a musty smell, which I wouldn't normally mind but we intend to store our linens in it.

These letters spell out "PARIS". I :heart: them. Only $88!

I am so drawn to this sofa, made out of a vintage headboard. I can tell you that our bassett hound would definitely steal that seat from us every chance he could!

I also visited Melrose Vintage down on 7th Ave and Camelback, which has some gorgeous pieces, but didn't take any pics. I will save those for a new camera (crosses fingers)!

Help!

2010-01-25T17:58:00.008-07:00

Since we, as a family, had just taken a trip to Paris together in November for my wedding (I know, I owe a post about the wedding), we decided not to go all-out crazy with our gift-giving for each other this year. So, our gift to my in-laws was 4 tickets to the local (Mesa) historic district home tour, here in Arizona.

We have toured the Willo Historic District in the past, so I knew this was something we all enjoyed. Well, the tour was this past weekend and while the tour was not as extensive as others I have been to, there were a few very interesting homes. One though, in particular, had me so thrilled and excited, I wish I could have bought the whole house, furniture and decor! Of course, it is a home in my favorite style: Tudor. I took photos with my blackberry, but God forgive me, they are horrible and blurry for the most part. (I knew, I knew, I KNEW we should have brought Jason's camera!) I will post a few though, because I love the decorating inspiration and because I need help finding where I can purchase something within the photo!

I absolutely loved the Wall of Clocks:

And the bedroom:

But I loved these bottles and must have them, but have no idea where to buy them! Please, if you know where I can get these, please comment me!

Here are some other beautiful features of the house. Check out this entertaining patio!:

That's my lovely mother-in-law, Dee, above. We call her Diva Dee. She's a great inspiration and extremely talented and artistic. I won the Golden Ticket when I got her for a mother-in-law!

Again, I apologize for my horrible photography, but one can't do much with a Blackberry camera.

Have you ever been on a historic home tour? What tours do you enjoy and in what cities?

Phoenix has some beautiful historic districts: Willo, Encanto-Palmcroft, Del Norte, Fairview, Story and FQ - to name a few. These homes have such character in a sprawled community of cookie-cutter developments.

Alice In Wonderland....

2009-06-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight, upon returning from a girls night, Jason introduced me to something fabulous...something I had no knowledge of but am very excited in anticipation. Apparently, Disney is releasing a new Alice In Wonderland movie starring Johnny Depp! I had no idea. I've never even seen a version of Alice in Wonderland nor have I read the book, but seeing some of the still shots of the film and the website, I just can't wait to see it! I think these first two shots qualify as Pretty Things All In A Row....

I don't think I can wait until 3/5/2010!!!

The official website is still in it's early stages of production, but check it out here:

Alice In Wonderland - The Movie

Kiss

2009-06-22T00:36:00.001-07:00

Kiss
Originally uploaded by Catalin_Pop

Lavender China with Peony

2009-06-22T00:34:00.001-07:00

Lavender China with Peony
Originally uploaded by such pretty things

My favorite flowers are peonies. I stopped in at Camelback Florist on Friday and bought myself a little bouquet of peonies. I wish I could grow these here in the desert, but I think it's unlikely. It would be a nice addition to my rose garden.

(Pardon the multiple blogs, but I can't figure out how to post multiple flickr photos in one combined blog.)

2009-06-21T23:17:00.001-07:00

I love vintage photos. I can go into an antique store and I want to buy all the vintage photos because I'm so sad that some member of a family just decided one day that their ancestors in the photos were just not valuable enough to feel the need to keep. Nevertheless, in looking through some of these old photos, Jason and I are always amused by how unhappy the bride and groom often looked (or at least, unelated) in vintage wedding photos. It's like the photographer yelled "You're going to spend the next 75 years together...." right before that moment. :) All photos from Flickr.com.

{source}

One photo, which for the life of me I cannot find now, had Jason and I in hysterics because both the bride and groom looked like they were growling, mean and mad! LOL! Hilarious.

Macarons

2009-06-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

Macarons
Originally uploaded by mjusten

I'm really looking forward to visiting LaDuree on my trip to Paris....

Timeless Vixen Vintage

2009-06-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

I don't know how they do it, but Timeless Vixen has come through again with another amazing vintage piece:

{source}

Paris in the Fall....

2009-06-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, Jason and I are getting married in Paris this Fall. I thought I'd post some inspirational photos of the city at that time of the year.

I'll start with the above and add more to this post as the night goes on....

Shower Day!

2009-06-03T23:33:00.001-07:00

Hautelook, an exclusive online sample sale site, is offering these lovely Eva Franco dresses in limited sizes at 65% off for the next 23 hours. (If you need a referral to sign up, comment me with your e-mail address and I will send one to you.) These would make great bridal shower dresses:

{Source}

Divine Vintage Fashion

2009-06-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

I told you I spend alot of time on Etsy and I will prove it with this post! Some items I find, I could just sit forever looking at the beauty of them.

Today's primo vintage gown is a pastel dream. It's hard to believe how pristine the owners managed to keep it over the past 50 years:

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I've also been eyeing this unique necklace on etsy as well:

{source}

It's over the top, I know, but I love it!:

by Katherine M. Roach-Wright

{source}

This bracelet is very Marie Antoinette:

{source}

I sort of have a crush on this outfit, by Bonzie:

{source}

Well, that's all for now. Take it all in, eat it all up!

2009-05-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

[Source]

This swimmingly beautiful vintage dress would make a great gown for someone's Maid of Honor. I simply love the color! With a "Buy It Now" price of $39.99, it's a steal!

Pretty things all in a row....

2009-05-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

[Source: Etsy]

So I came across this most unique and gorgeous gown, named "Queen of the Highlands Glenn", on etsy.com today. It's a good thing I already bought my dress or I'd be dishing out the $2,400 price tag for this beauty! The designer uses a variety of vintage lace to craft these pieces and, from the look of it, it's worth every cent for such intricate work. Please be sure to check out this designer's other pieces. I particularly like the hand painted dress and the "I jumped into a pile of leaves my daddy just raked up" veil.

With this ring...Marie Antoinette takes Bobafett

2009-05-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jason and I were sitting at our respective Mac computers in our office today, doing our own little business, when Jason asked if he could buy a $800 Star Wars Bobafett costume to get married in. In return, he said, I could wear the Marie Antoinette dress that I proposed several weeks back. That's a wedding they'd never forget...Paris in November...."Do you, Marie Antoinette, take Bobafett.....":

Could you imagine?? But, then, stranger things have happened at weddings, I'm sure!

Inspiration....

2009-05-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of wedding related items. First, I finally bought my wedding dress on Saturday. It is a Champagne dress from Paloma Blanca's newest collection. I bought it from a high end boutique going out of business in Denver. I got the relatively new sample, which had only been tried on about 3-4 times, for about 1/2 the price and I will have it delivered by Friday. I don't even have to wait 4 months for it. Yeah!!! I can't tell you how relieved I am to finally have that out of the way!

Next, I created my very first inspiration board today as well as two different color palettes for our wedding. Jason wants to wear a brown suit (either tan or chocolate) and a green tie and since I'm such a fan of art nouveau, I came up with the following palettes:

Color Palette 1

Color Palette 2

And the main inspiration for my board is The Great Gatsby and the fabulous 1920s:

The mansion in the board above is Old Westbury Gardens, on Long Island, NY. It's a fabulous estate where I used to take my mother on Mother's Day before moving here to the desert. It's one of the things I miss the most about New York. Visiting the grounds there inspired my passion for my rose gardens.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 3 day weekend. I was able to get some much needed cleaning done around the house today. I seriously need a 3rd day off every week to get everything done that needs to be done! My life is too busy!

It's late and I have a date with a coffee pot in about 5 hours. Nite. Nite.

SWEET DREAMS!

2009-05-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Following up on the 1944 magazine I recently bought, I found this helpful article with plenty of tips for caring for your bed linens. I have extracted the tips and included them below:

1) Line Drying: Hang sheets and pillowcases one third over the line and be sure to dry colored things in the shade.

2) Line Drying: If linens have stripes, keep the stripes hanging lengthwise so that if there is to be any "running", it will keep to the strips.

3) Ironing: Fold a turkish towel under a monogram or embroidery so as to bring out the design in ironing.

4) Ironing: Do the ruffles first, going across then up into gathers then press with the thread of the material.

5) Ironing: Do not comb fringes; wait till spread is thoroughly dry and brush with clean whisk broom.

6) Washing: Tack coarse crochet or lace bed spread to an old sheet for washing and it will hold its shape.

7) Washing: Lace or figured spreads really require special care and fare much better laundered separately.

8) Washing: Bed clothes - Do soak bed clothes before washing - white things in lukewarm, soapy water, those that are pastel tinted or have colored hems in cool, soapy water for five to ten minutes. Add enough dissolved soap to wash water to make a two-inch standing suds, with a temperature as high as 160 degrees F for the white clothes, but only slight more than lukewarm for the pastel tinted bed clothes.

9) Washing: Don't overload the washing machine. The normal load is 4-6 sheets or just one spread and the time allowance from 5-15 minutes. Don't stint on the rinsings. Put the white things through clear lukewarm water, then cool, and, if bluing is used, move the articles about to prevent streaking. Give pastels soapy rinse of the same temperature as the wash water, then two rinses in clear, cool water. (Note from me: I imagine washing machines had different limitations in the 40's.)

10) Washing: I skipped this tip because it had to do with using a hand wringer, which most don't use these days. If anyone wants this tip, let me know and I'll send it.

11) Line Drying: Don't hang up the clothes just any which way or they will be harder to iron. Fold the sheets right side out, hem to hem, with corners squared, with a liberal overhang of the hemmed edges for fastening. Hang the pillowcases by the closed ends with a fold-over deep enough for firm hold with the pins. To keep a loosely woven crocheted lace or filet spread from stretching out of shape in drying, base to an old sheet before you launder it and spread out flat.

12) Ironing: Do sprinkle the dry linen evenly and thoroughly and leave rolled up until you are ready to iron. Place clothes basket under the ironing board to catch the overflow and keep the large pieces from trailing on the floor and picking up dirt. Press on the right side and follow the thread of fabric. First fold the sheets and pillowcases lengthwise, then crosswise. Don't iron organdy over and over, or iron it toward you. Always iron it away from you.

13) Ironing: Don't be too meticulous about ironing sheets. Some of the most fastidious housekeepers are skipping this chore. But if you don't like the looks of an un-ironed top sheet, try this method: Remove sheet from the line while still slightly damp, fold crosswise in quarters as you take it down , and run the iron lightly over the top fourth. This irons the part that shows and takes the wrinkles out of the lower part of your sheet.

I live in the southwest and right now it's hotter than H-E-Double L. The only time I've ever dried my clothes on a line, they were stiff as a board when I was done. Anyone know why? I'd be interested in drying on a line, clipping my linens up while listening to Edith Piaf singing "La Vie En Rose" (as I am doing now), if the linens didn't turn out stiff every time .

Now, I don't have children, but I really enjoyed two articles related to raising children in the 40's. One is titled "Entertaining Children Out of Doors", the other is called "Curiousity...The Greatest Gift You Can Give Them!" I hope to post those in the coming days.

Chocolatey Goodness!

2009-05-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

Etsy is one of my all-time favorite addictions. I find so many goodies there and I often lose hours and hours of my life on that website. This evening, I came across this delicious vintage number that would make a lovely MOH or bridesmaid dress:

[source]

There's something whimsical about having an entirely vintage wedding. I love it. If any of you had vintage weddings, I'd love to see your photos.

Vintage Inspired Informal Wedding?

2009-05-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, I'm currently planning my wedding and have had no luck finding "The Dress" for me yet. I love vintage wedding attire, especially the eras of the 1920s - 1950s. I'm always looking for dresses that are authentic or inspired vintage dresses. I will occassionally post some of my discoveries here (especially if I think it's a good deal for someone else) as well as those items that inspire me.

Today, I came across this interesting piece at the Yoox.com website:

[source]

and though, not vintage, I think this is an inexpensive option for either a wedding dress, particularly a courthouse wedding, or a reception dress:

[source]

I also found this unusual and original option for a bridesmaid dress:

[source]

Gotta Start Somewhere....

2009-04-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Forgive the simplicity of my introduction. I am new to this. I grew up writing journals for my eyes only, so this blogging is a bit daunting to me. I am here because I'm looking for an outlet to share my interests in a variety of things.

I have not developed a pleasing layout for my blog yet, but am looking to find a design that represents all things "me". It may take some time, so bear with me.

Some of my interests include, of late, life and culture in Paris, nostalgia and the way of life for those in times gone by, and fashion and homemaking of the 1920s - 1950s. I love strolling through antique stores and I love discovering original pieces long forgotten. I'm a huge fan of www.etsy.com and could spend days perusing it's incredible treasures.

Lately, alot of my time has been spent planning my wedding. My fiance, Jason, and I will be marrying in November in Paris, France. We're planning a very simple wedding, with just 12 guests or so, and will host a wedding feast at a restaurant following the ceremony. Nevertheless, I really enjoy discovering new ways to make our union and our special day...well, special and unique. I love the artistic side of planning a wedding. I will likely share some of my finds here as well as those things that simply catch my eye in my journey.

I've come to realize lately that there's something about women in the 40s and 50s that inspires me to be a better wife. I've always been a career woman, working anywhere from 50 - 60 hours per week. I have been an executive assistant in private equity firm for the past 10 years. My domestic responsibilities consisted of hiring a housekeeper and a landscaper to insure my home was well maintained. (However, I do tend to my own rose garden...for that I take full responsibility!) I spend alot of time roaming around the house, which is surprisingly untidy despite the fact that only 2 humans live in it (plus 3 dogs and 2 cats). I still can't figure out how I can be up at 5:30AM, out of the house at 7AM, home after an hour commute at 7PM, napping until 8PM and up until 2AM (yes, that's right...and up again at 5:30AM) and manage to keep a house clean. I can't. That's the problem. So my current mission is to put more effort into making the most of my time so I can get to bed at a reasonable time (reasonable = 10PM). This requires better use of my time, less roaming, less watching TV, less napping, less computer time (I know, I know, what am I doing on the computer!).

So my initial mission is to thoroughly clean this house so that I can more easily maintain it on a scheduled basis. I started on Sunday and was surprised to find that in one day, I managed to clean the master bathroom, clean out the refrigerator (reflection clean), implement an effective recycling system (this includes being sure to rinse every jar and package put in the recycle bin to prevent odors), wash, dry and put away all the dishes (2 loads), reorganize the pantry, do 2 loads of wash, AND groom Johnny Cash (my yorkie). Okay, so I still got to bed at 1AM, but once all the nitty gritty cleaning is done, all cabinets organized, all unwanted/unused/unnecessary items are discarded, I imagine I will see an earlier sleep time.

As inspiration, I have been reading "how to" books and woman's magazines from the 40s. How those women managed to maintain spic-n-span homes while LOOKING so well maintained is beyond me. I am reminded of my grandmother, Nana, who got on her hands and knees with a bucket and a sponge/washrag twice a week. Twice a week she scrubbed and waxed the wood floor of their Brooklyn home - from one end to the other. Twice a week! I can barely mop mine once a month! Nana loved to clean though. When she came over, she was sure to organize something in your home, whether you liked it or not. (I like to think her spirit is possessing me right now and that's why I'm experiencing this change of life. I miss her terribly. And it would be just like her to possess me if only so she could wash the dust off the top of my refrigerator!)

I found this terrific magazine at a vintage shop, Rust and Roses, today in downtown Phoenix. It's dated August 1944 and is called "On Guard....The American Home". It's so fun to read how life was back then. It has some interesting recipes and articles on keeping a home. I'll be sure to transcribe some of them for you here. Okay, if I want to get the rest of the laundry done, I will have to close today's entry.

In closing, thank you for visiting my blog. I hope it improves over time and I hope that, in my quest of discovery and improvement, I manage to offer you something you can use in your life as well.

2009-03-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog!