Wednesday, April 22, 2009

21 April 1955, “Lil Stockholders, Napoleons, Pork Roast, Renovations, and Fashion”

lil stockholders First Minors to Become Stockholders under New Law. New York, New York: Keith Funston, left, president of the New York Stock Exchange, is shown presenting to two children, Howell Hollis III, 6, and his sister, Mary Jane, 4, a gift from their father - 19 shares each of American Telephone & Telegraph stock. The children are the first minors in the United States to become stockholders under terms of a new law, enacted early in March by the state of Georgia, which eliminates the red tape surrounding gifts of securities to minors. At right is the father of the young stockholders, Senator Howell Hollis (Democrat) of Columbus, Georgia. The presentation ceremony took place on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. April 22, 1955.

On the cooking a baking front I found this interesting. Whenever I peruse my Boston Cooking School book from 1951, I am always amazed. I feel sometimes to have unearthed a great tome from some long forgotten wizard. It has an alchemy about it, this book, where you will innocently look something up, as I did with this recipe for Napoleons ( which I love, but have never attempted)napoleonsnapoleon pastry So, as I read the short recipe it refers me to many other pages. Again, as if trying to deciper some ancient rite or language, I thumb quickly through the pages, puff pastry, washed butter, what does it all mean? So, I have not yet attempted it, but I will. Here are the various parts of the recipe if you, too, would like to try. puff pastry 1puff pastry 2wash butterI have never heard of washed butter until this. And in finding the wash butter directions I came across this on the same page:make butterNow, it says you can make small amounts of butter with sweet or sour cream. DO you suppose it would work with modern store bought sour cream? I am going to try it and let you know. Have any of you ever done this?

 roastI made a lovely pork roast last night with potatoes. The sugar peas look frozen but are actually coated with a sort of salt and herb rub, rather good. Here it is dished up and that is my white sauce with a touch of Romano in it. It was lovely and I cooked the roast in my slow cooker as I was busy nailing paneling to my dining room walls.

  roast on plate

Speaking of the dining room, it is still in progress, but I am not too sad about the pace I am going. Here you can see that I now have the primer on the trim. wall trim primed And here you can see the corner cabinet looks more ‘built in’ now, I believe.corner cabinet corner trimed and primed (the paint on the glass will come off last with a handy razor blade SO much quicker and cleaner than trying to tape off each pane of glass.) Here it is with the doors open.corner cabinet doors open You can see the color inside is different than the walls. It matches a color in my good china. The shelves are still primed and waiting for their second coat of the blue. Here you can see the next phase of the fireplace.fireplace hutch mantle The unpainted wood attached to the bottom is the future mantle. Today I will build out the firebox below which will bet primed and trimmed out. It will not recieve it’s fire log until fall, as we will not need it for summer and I can save the money until then. So, I think I may be able to actually eat in here this Saturday, though some bits will be undone, but can be completed as we use it, such as the mural which may be an ongoing unfolding art scape that happens over the remainder of the year.

Now, in the gardening front, I have done more on my little veg garden. I will show pics of the progression from it’s being a neglected leave strewn corner of my yard to the delight I hope it will be. But, the plants cannot wait for my to put up my decorative fences or cute little hand made gate, so some things were put in the other day. I have my snow peas, cabbage, lettuce, beets in. I also put in my tomatoes even though it is really too early, but I put little hats on them to protect them and they have been fine. They will be stronger for it, I think, I am also going to try and train my zucchini to climb part of the fence, rather than take up precious room spreading out on the ground.  Here they are in their little box I just built them. That way I can control the weeds and nutrients more than directly in the soil.zucchini seedlings  Here they are planted and you can see the chicken wire where I will train them up the side of the fence.zucchini seedlings planted And here is a close up of one of the little darlings with it’s seed pod still on, like a jaunty little cap.zucchini seedling with seed

We also have some new animals in our little menagerie. Unlike the wild bunnies, though, these were planned. Six new little chicks. They are so adorable. I will show pictures in my next blog. I have four full size hens now and honestly they give me just enough eggs, I really need more, so these 6 little darlings will be joined by two more fancy chicks next week and come fall I will have a full chicken house of 12 laying hens. I am hoping to sell what I won’t use to our local store to make enough money to pay for the chicken feed, that way I get to enjoy the chickens, have fresh eggs and no cost, and I get to meet more local people as I bring in my eggs for sale. I think this is a very 1940’s thing to do that I would have held onto in the 1950’s after having gone through the war. They are adorable, and as usual, my dogs love them. Monty, my little chi, loves birds. Here he is with our parakeet Pockets. monty and pocketsThey really love each other and Pockets will groom Monty and he will sit carefully and let her nibble away. Much animal love going on around here.

I was thinking this morning about something one of my wonderful commenter's, Jeanne, said:

“I got up and did personal care make up and all. I put hose on and a nice skirt with a casual top nice shoes too. I walked taller all day and felt better about myself. I almost always cook from scratch but today I felt special while doing it. I have always kept a nice home but let myself be thought of last or not at all.”

It really made me think. It sort of cemented my ideas of the labels we use today on ourselves. It seems we, today, feel that either you are glamorous and stylish which means that you MUST forgo such trivial things as housework and cooking, or you care about cooking and cleaning and don’t have time for that fancy stuff. To care about fashion you must be a Paris Hilton who can’t open a can or won’t break a nail. Really, that might be due to the idea that fashion and style is about the designer. About it being a high priced thing only the rich can enjoy.

Somewhere along the way, the designer became more important than the clothes. I know that great designers and big design houses such as Worth were always known, but really to have style and fashion used to be more in the hand of the individual. Look at these photos from an article about  embellishing simple pieces to make your own look. tops1tops 2It doesn’t say “buy this style from this designer”. It allows fashion and style to be an accessible and personal thing. I know that Dior (whom I do love) was a known designer, but you could really copy his clothes, the designs were about making a ‘style’ and either you could afford the originals or you made your own and embellished them how you like. Now, you have to have something with a label or a recognizable pattern that you cannot produce yourself.  Here, You buy a darling top and with your own hand make it have ‘style’.

Really, the casual style of jeans did away with the personal expression of self-sewers making their own fashion statement. I know there are sewers out there, but that is not the norm. Even teens and tweens aren’t really allowed to have a cute style that has a fun innocence. mother daughterThis image is so sweet of the mother sewing and helping her tween to look adorable.patterns Could you imagine a tween or teen wearing this outfit today? I know it is not the style any longer, but I mean the sense of self-worth as portrayed through the clothes that look neat and show you are ready to be an adult. Now, adults dress like teens! Again, I don’t want to play the “it was better back than” game, but I know I enjoy dressing in pretty clothes and in a way it would be fun for young ladies to dress for themselves in fun things they like and not so much dress to ‘attract boys’ which seems to be the bare all style of today. Thank goodness I don’t have a teen daughter.

I always laugh now when I hear people say how the 1950s was when everyone had to look the same. All I have to do is go to the mall and there is the uniform. Jeans and t-shirt with an ironic saying, skin tight low rise velour sweat pants with writing on the bum. That’s pretty much it. Now, how is that not uber conformity?

Another interesting point, I was looking at the article about embellishing your new tops with Gussie and she said, “Oh, who is that model”. A perfectly valid question today when the model is celebrated for herself, but then it was a job. IF you had the right body shape you showed clothes in magazines. It was about the clothes or the article. Now,  it has to be about how wonderful a superstar the model has become. Super models. In some way, it is sort of bad. In stead of glorifying the clothes so a girl can think, “Oh I would look nice in that” it glorifies the body which is hard to have if you are not born with it. Young girls want to have the body not the darling outfits they are wearing. Those are the subtle ways I see harming women and young girls. Another layer of today peeled back through simply looking at fashion in one of my magazines.

For example, yesterday I changed out of my work dungarees to go do my errands, one of which was stopping at the lumber yard for more wood and the local grain elevator to pick up my new chicks.  I had on a nice cotton dress, petticoat, neck scarf, cardigan, gloves etc. It didn’t feel to me as if I was ‘dressed up’ but, boy did I get the service. I KNOW I can saw and build wood, so with the gentleman at the lumber yard see the ‘delicate’ lady getting some lumber, they are only pleased to help. I am not saying I was ‘playing weak’, but I did load some myself and then I was GLAD and appreciative of the help of the gentleman. Did it make me less independent or less a modern woman because I let a man help me? I don’t think so. But, clothes used a certain way do help you to feel special. And it illicit responses I find nice from others. Even if I get an odd stare or snigger about what I might be wearing, I honestly don’t care anymore. It is as if the clothes give me a confidence and power to ignore it.

Another example, after working last night again on my project and getting dinner ready and setting the table, I took 20 minutes to go upstairs and put on my nice outfit from earlier in the day and reapply my lipstick. Then, my husband gets to see me looking nice. Some would be appalled at this, thinking, “I’m not going to get dressed up for my man, if he doesn’t like me the way I am that’s his problem” but really, I did it as much for me. I take the time to make a nice dinner, set a nice table and want to sit down and feel this is MY time too. I don’t want to feel like I am the rushed servant sitting down in my tussled hair and dungarees. It is so SIMPLE to just dress for dinner, and it makes such a difference. I actually don’t even think about going out as much, because I like dressing and eating my nicely prepared meals with my husband at home, nice wine, discussions and my dogs.

Again, labels. I think a gal can be into nature, like hiking, organic farming and still wear nice dresses and take time with her appearance. I know, it seems as if it is just a matter of personal taste, but honestly you really do feel ‘good’ about yourself. We don’t mind indulging in the pleasure of tv or video games or eating junk food, but the pleasure of looking good we disdain. Even those of you who think, “Oh, it’s not my style to look pretty in a dress” you might be surprised the power of such clothes. It couldn’t hurt, right?

Now, that we have the freedom to dress as we see fit, obviously I am not saying that I want to take that away. I don’t want to be a clothes Nazi telling people what they should or should not wear. But, for those of us interested in vintage and in changing our life in a way that I think a lot of the readers of this blog do, I can tell you first hand that clothes DEFINITELY affect your well being and even, on some level, your ACTON.

To know that I wear a certain outfit, almost a uniform if you will, when I am cleaning and then change into ‘marketing attire’ means I need to budget that time. Honestly, it really isn’t as much time as you think and then when I am getting ready to switch from one task to another, instead of the old me, who may think, “Oh, well, I’ll just sit down first for a minute, or I’ll  look at the TV first” and then never do it.  When you are in that mind set that you have to go get dressed to go to the store, you are focused on it, you get your clothes on, check your hair, etc and you are ready and prepared and then you go out and do it. So, just from my own experience I really do find that ‘dressing for the occasion’ helps me to be on time and to actually DO the thing I am dressing for. Why not try, the next time you are going shopping, to put on what you think of as ‘nice clothes’.  A nice skirt and sweater or top. Nice shoes (they can be dressy flats or darling sandals) a bag, maybe a hat or scarf, put on some lipstick and fix your hair and then don’t be surprised how tall you walk and how helpful sales people are.

I guess, again, I am just finding the things I began to do BECAUSE of the project are really becoming more a part of who I want to be and who I am becoming. When it is no longer 1955, I am fairly certain my dressing will continue, as it really motivates me, makes me feel good, and helps me to organize my clothes and to have fewer, but well cared for garments. It is funny how many clothes I have from before 1955, yet so many of them are ‘casual’ clothes or so many piles of various styled tops and bottoms etc that you often feel confused about what to wear. Now, I have a determination when I open that closet door. Gardening today? Dungarees, men’s shirt tied at waist and sensible shoes. Marketing and going to town today? Nice dress or skirt and sweater set, hose, pumps gloves and hat. Dinner with my family, nice skirt clean top freshly styled hair. It almost seems that I spend less time thinking about the clothes all the time but look better and am more organized by knowing what is ‘appropriate’.

Again, I don’t want to play the “Oh, it was better then than it is now” game, I am merely stating what I am finding to be true.  I honestly believe it really can be applied to the modern world. And, in so doing, would and could really change how you feel about yourself and your life.

Well, I have many things on my plate today, so I am off.

Happy Homemaking everyone!

Oh, I almost forgot: Kay, if you are out there, I wrote you a letter today and lost your address. If you email it to me I can get your letter off to you! Thanks.

31 comments:

  1. I've been a firm believer in dressing with care for years now...and almost always wear a hat when I go out. I do walk with better posture, and I find myself smiling at people who then smile back. Good manners seem to just come out too; men open doors for me, and sales people ask if they may help me. Even arriving at work become a more pleasant experience. By the by...Google Images has a link to Life Magazine's 1950's spring hats. I put it on my blog a day or two ago...now there are some lovely ladies!

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  2. I think you'll find that they mean soured cream, not sour cream as we know it today. My farm cookbooks direct that for the tangiest butter the cream should be left for a day or so to sour.

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  3. I have made homemade butter before by shaking heavy cream in a jar until the butter separates out from the liquid. Here's how it's done... http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/butter.html

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  4. A couple of things you got me thinking about.

    In your last post you said we can go online and still have a well cared for house if we just stop wasting time. Well I was thinking about it and even if after this year you have to go back to work, the scheduling that you've learned will help you to get everything done and work (and you won't start ironing the cushions :D).

    Second thing from this post, apparently people nowadays are spending more than ever on cosmetics and hygiene products, but we're also the laziest. I just bought some body butter and I have promised myself that I am going to take the five minutes that it will take after a bath or shower to use it and make sure that my skin is taken care of.

    And I want to thank you. You're really inspiring all of us. We might not decide that for a year we're going to live in the 1950's but we are taking little bits and pieces that you are showing us and applying it to what our lives.

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  5. I made butter at home from cream, it's not that difficult. You just keep beating it until it turns into butter. Tastes nice, too.

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  6. I'll say it, I think it was better then rather than now. Well, most of it. Going into the model thing when you were talking with Gussie. My Hubby and I were talking about celebrities from now compared to then. How celebrities then like Clark Gable, he was just a person. He had his own ranch, someone else, I always forget his name, he was the president of a bank. The fame came second, they had real lives to live so they didnt get sucked into being diva's, well, at least not until later. Celebrities now, in my opinion, they dont have much going for them, and even when they get bad publicity, they think, well at least its publicity....its soo sad.

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  7. Thank you for taking the time and thought to write a very interesting post once again. You are so good at inspiring us... who/what inspires you? How do you stay joyfully motivated every day? Do you have slow, sluggish periods and how then do you push yourself through the 'fug' to keep gently moving?

    How right you are about dressing the part! I love how dressing like a lady does illicit sweet, helpful responses from others. Although I freshen up for my husband (and myself) before he comes home, (he finishes work 'early' compared to most) by dinner time I probably could benefit from another tidy. Thanks for making me consider this. Clothes do affect our well-being and action. Your insight and how it is so succinctly expressed is beautiful. Thank you. I'm off to perform some routines and ACTION. From, Linda

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  8. Thoughts on life-I am glad to know there is another gal out there sporting hats. I bet those photos are lovely, though I could not find them on your blog.
    aurelia-so do I buy cream and let it sour or do I buy buttermilk?
    PL-thanks so much for the link. I am SO making my own butter. I will have to see if it is cheaper in the end.
    Vintage Angel-I know, I have friends that use expensive creams and they are nice, certainly, but my skin has been getting better and all I use is a 2 dollar tub of cold cream, soap and elbow grease. I use some lotion for my face and hands and body, but it is ALL the same lotion not 20 bottles of it. It seems again that we have more things to buy and clutter up our life and then we don't use them. It is again as if we want to buy what they represent, a clean and tidy us pretty and fine, well, put on a dress, curl your hair, put on some lipstick and a hat and get out there and strut your stuff, no lotion or anything in a bottle is going to give you that!
    And thank you for saying that I inspire you. I, too, am so inspired by all of you and am so happy to be part of and to help build a community of we vintage gals, rather we like the fashion or the economy or the music, whatever, we all seem to have one strong bond of pride and determination. We're the new Rosy the Rivetors!
    Anon- I will try to make butter now, you better believe it!
    Circled dolly-Well, at least you said it. I mean, I wasn't really there so I cannot say, but I definitely like the things I am doing now more than the things I did before which was actually the future, all very confusing. I agree that now to be a celebrity seems to be a job. If you can get on tv for any reason tadah you have value. I have heard about that woman who had all those babies and plastic surgery and wants to have her own show and I am sure before you know it she will and will have an entire line of products etc. We seem to reward anyone that can jump around and make the most noise. Whatever happened to respecting and revering those who were smart and had grace and made us feel we wanted to strive to be more like them? That is the kind of 'star' I could get behind.

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  9. Thanks Linda, I am glad that we have taken up the mantra ACTION!
    Off to check on my dinner and 'freshen up'.

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  10. love your blog and your opinions!


    I'm a bit of a throwback, I don't really think of myself as a 50's woman but I sure don't live like any other 2009 woman I really know either.

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  11. I noticed last summer when I started wearing skirts more (because my shorts were still too tight and skirts are more forgiving) that people were more polite and helpful. The first skirt outing was to get a hammock for my hubby for Fathers Day and in the parking lot, before I could get my hands around the box a man, not much older than me, came over and offered to lift it for me. He said, quite sincerely, "You don't want to get your skirt dirty now." How sweet.

    Even without all the underpinnings- just a slip, and a t-shirt and flip flops- I feel better. I still wear my cute preppy shorts to the beach or to clean the house but when I go out I have my "out of the house" uniform. At least in the summer. Winters make it harder with the snow boots. Everything looks frumpy with them.

    S

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  12. s-what I have noticed in movies of 'my time' and earlier, even in the cutest dresses and coats, women tended to wear goalshes over their shoes. Some were high heeled versions, others looked flat but still I would see them step out with a high heel on. They looked darling, maybe because of the rest of the outfit. I need to find a pair of these for winter and then I won't need various boots, just those to wear over whatever shoes I am wearing for the day.

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  13. My Mum would bath and dress me in a fresh dress before my father got home for dinner when I was an infant in 1968. She wanted him to be happy when he got home from work and I am sure that encouraged him to be helpful where coming home to a pig sty and messy baby would have made him want to walk out the door. Although I am not doing a project like yours, I dress in away I think is appropriate when I go out. When I was a kid my Mum would not let us wear shorts to the grocery store or out anywhere else except the beach. I still feel uncomfortable with wearing shorts anywhere but around the house or at a beach.

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  14. The whole psychology behind is really quite interesting. It can seem that to say to 'dress up' is restrictive. That somehow, taking the time to look nice for yourself and others is about taking something away from you day or being anal, when really it is so freeing to be 'allowed' to be pretty and glamorous. We all have a RIGHT to be gorgeous and it is the one thing many of us DO restrict ourselves on.

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  15. Hi 50sGal - Pleased to meet you! I'm enjoying your blog! And it looks as if you're enjoying 1955 ;) It always amazes me how much the mindset of 2009 differs from even 20 or so years ago. People are shocked to learn that I don't own a microwave, don't watch tv (other than mostly classic films on dvd), and actually cook and bake from scratch. Speaking of which, your roast looks delicious! There are so many fabulous recipes in the "old" cookbooks, and fun to try them out too! My husband and I took on the challenge of a crown roast at holiday time, and documented it on my blog. By the way, your dining room project is so imppressive - I bet it'll be gorgeous when it's completed! I'm looking forward to peeking at your earlier posts when I have a few minutes. :)

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  16. I've always enjoyed the "special" treatment afforded me when I wear a dress out to do my shopping. Someone usually asks to help me with my heavier things and I always accept. I have 3 teenage daughters and I encourage them to allow young men to open doors for them and to carry heavy or bulky items for them. It takes courage for young men to offer these days and I say encourage gentlemanly behavior at every turn.
    On this same idea, we have a neighbor boy that stops by to call his little sister home from visiting and he always remembers to remove his hat as soon as I come to the door and before he speaks to me. It seems a little thing but is remarkable as it is so infrequently done.

    Michele

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  17. Miss Cherry-welcome. I have done a crown roast too and it looks spectacular! Thanks, hopefull I can get the room done soon as I am itching to start some outdoor projects!
    Michele-that is so sweet, about the hat. I wonder why we don't teach manners any more. Why don't people want to live in a world of consideration? When I think of things like the jerry springer show and their ilk, it promotes and celebrates the worst behavior ever.

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  18. Hi, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog - and how did you manage to tame your pet budgie? Mine won't step onto my finger nor come out of his cage - yours looks beautiful and so sweet with your dog! I saw the picture and thought - thats what my budgie should be like!

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  19. Natasha-I bought her from a breeder who hand fed the babies. I wanted a tame one and was told pet shop budgies are very hard to tame, but if you buy from a breeder they are used to being held. You can retrain a pet store bird, but it takes much patience and alot of keeping your hand still in the cage until the are used to you.

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  20. Also, I never close the door of my budgie/parakeets cage. She is free to come and go as she pleases as my dogs won't harm her. I sometimes come home and find her (she cant' get out of my little sitting room)sitting on the back of my dogs bed while he is sitting quitely with her. They are darling together.

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  21. Wonderful insights into the many choices and influences that women face today, and have through recent history!

    I have a (small, thrifted) gift that I would like to send to you, if you are comfortable with giving me your address; vallerga.smith at gmail dot com

    Thank you again for your thoughtful sharing!

    -Allison

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  22. Thank you for that - mine (Aloysius) was a pet shop bought (as I live next door to one!) bird. He sings loads, but is wary of me and my husband - I'll keep trying with the hand, hopefully he'll get there in the end. I'd love to end up like you being just able to leave the cage door open so he can come and go as he pleases.

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  23. garbagedog-I would be honored to recieve anything from you letter or gift. I will email you.
    Natasha-it does really take patience, also if he will not bite you too hard, you should take him out of the cage (cup his wings to his side) in a room with the doors and windows closed and then just try to keep coaxing him onto your finer. Millet spray is great way to bond as they LOVE it. Only give it to him when he is OUT of his cage. Every evening, after we have cleared the dinner dishes, I put on the tea kettle and lay out dessert and then I take her (if she is not out) and put her on my shoulder. She stays there through dessert. I also have a greenhouse window in my sitting room that is full of plants and twigs and that is were I keep her millet. When she wants to go there she flies from my shoulder. Keep at it. They are very smart birds.

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  24. Buttermilk is what you end up with after the butter is churned, not what you use to make butter. Soured cream butter on the farm as we used to make it meant that milk was taken from the cow (we milked one cow by hand)and was left in a covered vessel in the root cellar to separate, that takes about a day. The cream was skimmed off and held again in the root cellar, usually for the rest of the day, then pasteurized. Gravity separation at about 55 degrees in the root cellar and holding before pasteurizing sours the milk--it doesn't turn, it just has a higher acid content and is tangier. We pasteurized in an open pan on the stovetop in the kitchen and I wouldn't guarantee that the cream was held at temperature for the full 30 minutes. Pasteurized cream was chilled until the next morning, then churned, washed salted and pressed. Cornbread soaked with buttermilk was always a good treat.

    Sometimes, two or three days worth of cream would be held before pasteurizing and larger batches would be made.

    You likely don't have access to raw milk so you won't be able to make butter this way.

    Cultured butter is entirely different, but also fun. Try this recipe.http://blog.cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/06/how-to-make-cultured-butter-and.html

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  25. May is going to be my Action month. I'm only going to be working one job, and I have my exams in the first week on May so that leaves me with 3 weeks of afternoons to be filled with ACTION. I have a long to-do list of folding and clearing out and going to thrift shops with books and lord knows what else. but it's going to get done. I'm going to check it all off.

    ACTION!

    Thanks again - oh the ettiquette e-book will be with you in a few days, I'm just tidying it up a bit more. Project Gutenberg doesn't always have things in a readable format.

    And 50's Gal - The dining room looks lovely! And also please can I write you a letter and post it so that you have more letter writing pen pals?

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  26. My neighbour and myself made butter a few weeks ago. We just used normal thickened cream, then beat it with a hand beater until it had separated into the curds and weay. The weay was drained and add salt to the curds, though be careful not to add to much salt (as we did). Squeeze the curds together with wither an old fashioned butter shaper or (as we used) two knives.

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  27. Vintage angel-Wonderful ACTION! we shout to the heavens, ACTION to all. Yes, you may write to me, I have finally dedicated a day to my coorespondence to keep up, there is no reason I cannot apply ACTION in that avenue as well, correct? If you email me wiht the link I will email you my mailing address.
    Anon-thanks for the tip now I can even make homemade cottage cheese! Oh, joy! Gussie and I were discussing that we would like to start doing some of the older things, making soap etc, from my 1908 homemakers manual, as my mother would have learned this at her mothers knee(my fictional mother and grandmother) so it is good to have in the homemaker arsenal I think. Well, I am off on an errand and then back home to write todays blog, ACTION!

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  28. Thanks so much for the advice - I'm going to try that with the millet this weekend. Also last night he did go onto my finger eventually, so thats giving me hope that we can get there!

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  29. I really like your dress for the day advise. It can be applied to modern times and also get me out of a rut of looking sloppy. Your posts are so well thought out and they explain a lot. I appreciate the effort you put into this!

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  30. You are SO right about dressing pretty and feeling confident! I would never go to a dinner or birthday party or such in the family wearing dirty jeans and washed out T-shirt, like some in my family do. I think the invitation, just like a nice made dinner at home, deserves it. I’ve also had the same experience with better service, because I was better dressed than the rest in the queue.

    One of these days I’ll have to switch to Summer shoes and sandals, then I’ll be running up and down the stairs to and from the basement. But it is always nice to see my collection of lovely sandals again, and especially the vintage ones in clear Lucite and rhinestones – I ADORE them! Very fifties, in fact some of them are from the late forties. All my sweaters and cardigans will be placed behind the Summer tops, T-shirts, thin cardigans and pashminas. Now they come in front in my closet. It is like getting a new wardrobe although most of it is quite old.
    “you often feel confused about what to wear” – I don’t. I’ve organized all clothes in colours and sets. I’m a colour nerd. This way I can find the precise colour I need in a second. I’ve also sorted all tops in those with short arms and those with long. All my party dresses are in a closet in the basement with my party shoes. No need to look through all that glitter when choosing what to wear for daily life. In fact I choose what to wear in the evening before the next morning. I know how tired I am in morning. ;)

    I don’t think it was better then too, but we can easily adopt the same organized lifestyle and get the benefit of it. Most of the women who always say that “they have nothing to wear” is simply un-organized, I’m sure.

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  31. Another fun post, as usual...Really enjoyed the article about fancying-up "old clothes" or plain clothes that could use a refreshing. Believe it or not, I think BHG recently had an article along these same lines, though they suggested pins and scarves, since Heaven knows no one can sew anymore...

    I've always been a huge, huge proponent of dressing well. It has lost me friends, believe it or not, when all I'm suggesting is we dress appropriately for the occasion. I don't wear ball gowns for gardening, but nor do I wear my painting clothes to the market or to church. (Even the puppy-walking shoes don't go out for other occasions.) It makes a difference not only in the way we are treated, but the way we treat others; a more gracious perspective.

    Glad your budgie is getting along with the family so well! Are you giving her plenty of fruits and veggies? I used to raise birds and they would get their own plate of "people food"...They all lived a very long time, too (my sister adopted one because Hubby is allergic, and he's probably the world's oldest budgie!). It's very good for them to eat such things.

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