About Dr. Julie-Ann

Born Too Late

I have always felt that I was born during the wrong time period.  While my friends were listening to disco, I was listening to KRLA.  Hanging out the mall and being a Valley Girl bored me but I enjoyed cooking, sewing, reading historical novels and biographies, watching old movies, and hanging out with my grandmother.

It was during my formative years that homemaking was pushed off its perch as a noble profession.  “They” told us that smart girls should aspire to “be something.”  So I decided that I would be a Home Economics teacher.  But Home Ec programs were considered unnecessary and were being shut down.  I became an elementary school teacher instead and put all of the child development classes I had taken to good use.

Career Change: Living Like My Grandmother Lois

After 25+ years as a special education teacher,  an educational psychology professor–teaching education students how to be school teachers, and a university administrator–teaching professors and graduate students how to be college teachers, I made a career change: Living like my grandmother Lois (1908-1979) in a modern world (with a little bit of June Cleaver, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly thrown in, too, for good measure).  I think both of my grandmothers epitomize a forgotten group of mid-century homemakers–women who had careers outside of the home but always considered homemaking their priority.

From 8:00 to 4:30, Monday through Friday, I am an administrator at a state university in the Midwest.  I love my job!  But since making the shift to living like Grandma Lois (Grandmother Lillian died when I was quite young so I only have a few memories of her), homemaking is my refuge, not something I look at as drudgery (okay, scrubbing the toilets isn’t exactly high on my enjoyment list but I think you get the gist of what I’m saying).  I find tremendous satisfaction in being a modern retro woman!

Live, Grow, Thrive, as a Modern Retro Woman, too!

This blog is devoted to sharing my studies and adventures in trying to be the proverbial “perfect 1950s housewife” by living like my grandmother in the 21st century.  I believe that if I strive to live by the same old fashioned values that my grandmother lived by, I will live a fabulous life!  I want the same for you, too.

Factoids:

• The Mister and I are college sweethearts.  We started dating in October, 1980 and had a Christmas wedding in 1986.
• Unfortunately, we were unable to have children.
• I collect vintage cookbooks (pre-1965)
• My Ph.D. is in Educational Psychology which is the study of how people learn
• I also have a Custom Clothing certificate
• My collection of vintage sewing patterns and books is bigger than my cookbook collection
• My favorite kind of music is Christmas sung by the mid-20th-century crooners
• I bought my first vintage how-to-be-a-housekeeper book shortly after The Mister and I married and I realized I didn’t know anything about keeping a home!
• I love trying to be the perfect 1950s housewife!
• I am grateful for the Modern Retro Woman readers  for the encouragement given to me and each other to follow our retro-lifestyle bliss
• You can stay in touch with the community by using the “Follow Me” buttons on the right side of the page

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due Department: I want to thank Retro Renovation for the header image.   Retro Renovation is a fabulous blog and resource that continually inspires me.  I know it will inspire you, too!