I’ve come a long way in the years since that photo was taken.  My life has been a glorious . . . → Read More: Wise Words of the Day: (My) Birthday]]>

Time is not measured by the passing of years, but by what one does, what one feels, and what one achieves. ~ Nehru

My second birthday party, 1963, at my grandparent's house.

 I’ve come a long way in the years since that photo was taken.  My life has been a glorious adventure.  Sometimes painful but always triumphant in the end to make that pain worthwhile.  And I get to share that adventure with The Mister, friends and family, and with you, my dear Modern Retro Woman readers.

I want to express my profound gratitude to my fellow modern retro women.  It is because of you that I continue to write this blog and share what I’m learning on this journey called “life.”  Thank you!

I’ve been attacking paperwork all weekend.  The Mister and I have been wondering if the advent of computers has actually made life more complex rather than simple.

My grandparents had a built-in desk . . . → Read More: 1961 Built-In Home Office]]>

Better Homes and Gardens, 1961 - Built-in Office; Image courtesy of VintageGoodness on Flickr.com

I’ve been attacking paperwork all weekend.  The Mister and I have been wondering if the advent of computers has actually made life more complex rather than simple.

My grandparents had a built-in desk in their den (complete with lift-out shelf for the typewriter).  Everything they needed was contained within that desk.

Today, I’m yearning for that level of simplicity.

Dear Friends,

I had an “on-campus” interview yesterday morning that necessitated a quick trip to another state.  It is always hard to gauge how well these types of interviews go because I know I’m not . . . → Read More: Glad to be Home Again]]>

1968 Al Muenchen vintage 1960s Illustration AIRPORT 7; Image courtesy of Christian Montone on Flickr.com

Dear Friends,

I had an “on-campus” interview yesterday morning that necessitated a quick trip to another state.  It is always hard to gauge how well these types of interviews go because I know I’m not the only person they are inviting to campus to do a sample workshop and they have to remain as neutral as possible.

Anyway, I was bracing for the worst because I knew the airports and the flights would be jam packed because of all the holiday travelers.  And they were.  But 99% of the people were upbeat and taking in stride all of the delays and gate changes that they encountered.  My flight home was delayed by three hours but my fellow passengers seemed to be treating it as an adventure rather than an inconvenience.  I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed when they kept delaying our flight because I was so tired and wanted to get home…but in the grand scheme of things, I figured it wasn’t worth getting my knickers in a bind about it.

Because I was flying a regional airline, the flights had more of a retro feel about them because we were on smaller planes.  This helped eliminate a lot of that “cattle car” feel that the larger planes have.  There were no middle seats and “only” about 100 passengers.  And, another benefit of the smaller plane was that people couldn’t bring all sorts of carry-ons onto the plane because they simply wouldn’t fit in the smallish overhead bins.  Carry-ons that didn’t fit in the bins  (mine included) were checked at the gate and then retrieved at the gate when we arrived at our destinations.  Boarding and deplaning took a matter of minutes instead of that slow process with everyone standing in the aisles with larger planes.  All in all, except for the delay, I had pleasant, non-eventful flights.

As much as I enjoyed my short adventure, it sure felt good, though, to sleep in my own bed last night.

To Your fabulous Technicolor life!

Illustration from Mode-Maker Metal Business Furniture catalog, circa 1960; Image courtesy of wackystuff on Flickr.com

A huge number of our modern retro homemaking sisters (including myself) have dual careers. Contrary to popular belief  that “the woman’s place was in the home,” there is a long history of homemakers also working outside of . . . → Read More: Dual Career Homemakers]]>

Dear Friends,

Illustration from Mode-Maker Metal Business Furniture catalog, circa 1960; Image courtesy of wackystuff on Flickr.com

A huge number of our modern retro homemaking sisters (including myself) have dual careers. Contrary to popular belief  that “the woman’s place was in the home,” there is a long history of homemakers also working outside of the home. In fact, both of my grandmothers had successful non-homemaking careers!  My maternal grandmother was an astute businesswoman who owned two beauty parlors in Los Angeles and my paternal grandmother worked in the business offices of Sears.  It was quite common for working class homemakers to work in offices or department stores, as teachers or nurses, and domestics among other things.  And, despite barriers, there were many women in the professions before “the women’s movement” took hold.  Before the lines between home and office became so delineated, women worked side by side with their husbands in family businesses and, of course, on farms and dairies.

My point?  Being an ideal 1950s homemaker–the Donna Reed Homemaking Ideal– plays out differently for each woman.  The common denominator is that we view ourselves as homemakers, first, and everything else, second.

Modern society likes to pit people against each other in a black and white world.  Culture wars make it seem like dual career homemakers are engaging in dueling careers and that one or both careers are suffering because of it.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

My version of The Donna Reed Homemaking Ideal will be very different than someone else’s version.  It doesn’t make my version right and her’s wrong.  It is just different.

For instance, there is a strong possibility that I will be returning to teaching full-time again.  However, these past few years of learning how to be a homemaker have taught me that I can seamlessly integrate the two careers.  Now I know that I can create a healthy and delicious dinner in less time (and cheaper) than stopping for take-out or going out to eat.  I’ve learned how to streamline my homekeeping so that it isn’t devouring hours of my time.  And, now I view teaching as a means of showing people how much I care about them and not just a job.

Working both in the home and outside the home doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.  No matter our circumstances, modern retro women understand the joy and satisfaction of being homemakers, first.

To your fabulous Technicolor life!

Dr. Julie-Ann

Dear Friends,

Donna Reed displaying how NOT to cook toast by leaning over the burners; Image courtesy of maggie_foss on Flickr.com

My youngest sister and I were recently discussing the aspiration to achieve the . . . → Read More: Donna Reed As Patron Saint of Homemakers]]>

When you handle yourself, use your head; when you handle others, use your heart. ~ Donna Reed

Dear Friends,

Donna Reed displaying how NOT to cook toast by leaning over the burners; Image courtesy of maggie_foss on Flickr.com

My youngest sister and I were recently discussing the aspiration to achieve the “Donna Reed Homemaking Ideal.”  We mentioned how Donna Reed is often mocked for cleaning the house while wearing pearls and high heels on her show.  But, as we continued to talk, we decided that the ideal reaches far beyond how she dressed and kept house.

The Donna Reed Homemaking Ideal is about showing how much you care about others and yourself.

The Ideal is in the details.  Those of us that are modern retro homemakers take the extra time to send out handwritten notes or cards.  When we pull out the best china, we are telling our guests, “I think you deserve the very best I have to offer.”  We try new recipes and cook from scratch as often as possible as a way to show our family that their (and our own) health and nutrition is important to us. And on it goes.

My sister wondered if our modern culture has become so self-centered that we’ve lost the idea of homemaking being about taking time to show we care about others in a meaningful way and that is what has led to the devaluing of homemaking as a viable career choice.

I don’t know.  To me, it seems like the best career choice ever!  As a modern retro woman, I get to spend my days showing The Mister and others how much I love them!  Where’s the drudgery in that?

To Your Fabulous Technicolor Life!

Dr. Julie-Ann

Longtime readers know that I prefer riding the train than driving.  Amtrak’s Surfrider train returned me to The Mister a whole . . . → Read More: How Can You Be a Recording Artist and Not Know About The Rat Pack???]]>

I’m home again after spending a few days with my mother at her timeshare down by the beach.  But I never actually made it to the beach because we were busy doing other things.

Longtime readers know that I prefer riding the train than driving.  Amtrak’s Surfrider train returned me to The Mister a whole lot faster than if I had to deal with rush hour traffic.  I sat back in my seat and finished reading the latest issue of Town & Country and then started in on Threads.  Apparently, I was looking very fashion designer-esque because the young man sitting across the aisle from me asked me if I was a designer.  I told him that I wasn’t.  Then, to be polite, I asked him to explain what the conductor had asked him about a cd he is recording.  He admitted that he is a new recording artist, specializing in rock and roll with a country flavor and is a lead singer for a band.

He asked me what type of music I listen to and I said that I love listening to the Rat Pack and their style of music.  He looked blankly at me and asked me if that was like show tunes.  I mentioned Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.   Another blank look.  Maybe I should have mentioned Tony Bennett.  After all, he has a fabulous duet with Lady Gaga.  Fortunately, we were saved from any more awkwardness by our arrival into Union Station.

Granted, I don’t know 99% of singers/performers that are popular now, but isn’t The Rat Pack iconic?  And wouldn’t even young recording artists know about their legacy?

Or am I just old and out of touch?

This is an hour long Rat Pack extravaganza from 1965 when they did a benefit concert in St. Louis:

I’m studying for my final pattern making exam and thought I’d share a post I wrote a little over a year . . . → Read More: From the Archive: Pyramid of Sucess: Industriousness]]>

Note: This article was originally posted Modern Retro Woman on June 15, 2010 and on a previous blog I used to write a year before that.  Some ideas are just classic and worth repeating…

I’m studying for my final pattern making exam and thought I’d share a post I wrote a little over a year ago on my “Fairy Godmother’s Guide to Living Happily Ever After” blog.  I wrote it  while I was still in the process of transitioning to my current life as a modern retro woman and embracing the notion that I could be a kind of “fairy grandmother” for all of those women who didn’t grow up with the sort of grandmother that I had.  I’ve since ended that blog in favor of this one but I think some of my musings are still appropriate here.

Isn’t it funny (as in “interesting,” not “ha-ha”) how when you decide to follow your heart, resources start showing up out of nowhere? When I decided to start dispensing “old-fashioned wisdom for a modern world so that you can live happily ever after,” I wasn’t 100% sure where this yellow brick road would begin. I didn’t have to worry. It seems that I’m finding surrogate grandparents in amazing places!

Coach John Wooden is the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history. During his tenure at UCLA, the Bruins won 80% of their basketball games. When I worked at UCLA, I would see his books for sale in the student bookstore but I was never interested in them. Then, about a month ago, I saw him on one of the smaller PBS stations here in the Los Angeles area. I started crying. His mannerisms and his gentle spirit reminded me so much of my own paternal grandfather that at that moment, Coach Wooden became a surrogate grandfather. On the PBS show, he was sharing his Pyramid of Success-the building blocks for a successful life that he used to teach to his students (he considered himself a teacher first, coach second and always called his players his students)-to a group of young people. I knew I could learn a lot from his wisdom and immediately ordered a copy of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life right away. Welllll, I was correct. I can learn a lot from him.

The first building block to the pyramid is industriousness (or hard work). This idea is not very popular these days. We are barraged by advertisements that hawk wares that will enable us to avoid working hard. Infomercials tell us that all we have to do is buy a foreclosed or distressed house for dirt cheap and we will magically be millionaires (results not typical). We are bombarded with messages that idealize leisure and recreation. Everywhere we turn, we are told that “hard work” is only for the unfortunate bottom quartile of our society (and we are told that something is wrong with “those people”).

Coach Wooden points out that if we put in minimum effort, we may be able to just get by but we won’t fully develop the talents that lie within. In essence, working hard is a gift to ourselves. We can only become grown-ups and actualized humans through hard work.

Here’s the deal: It isn’t an either-or proposition between working hard and enjoying life. Sure, sometimes we have to work hard at things we don’t enjoy doing. But, the old saying is that if we follow our passion, our hard work won’t feel like hard work. We will end the day satisfied at what we’ve accomplished.

In reflecting upon this building block, I realized that I have been afraid of hard work. But as I’ve started breaking my work down into bite-sized pieces, I’ve discovered that working hard is actually rather more satisfying than losing several hours to “leisure activities” such as watching reality tv shows.

Coach Wooden quotes Proverbs 21:5

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

What is your reaction to Coach Wooden’s admonition that there is no substitution for hard work?

I don’t often talk about my faith on the blog but today I’m going to make an exception.  On my older sister’s blog about the intersection between faith and creativity, my sister discusses the simple prayer, “Lord, have mercy.”

I’m breaking my rule because I hear from so many women that they feel . . . → Read More: A Profound Prayer]]>

Dear Friends,

I don’t often talk about my faith on the blog but today I’m going to make an exception.  On my older sister’s blog about the intersection between faith and creativity, my sister discusses the simple prayer, “Lord, have mercy.”

I’m breaking my rule because I hear from so many women that they feel like they are “the only ones” who struggle to live by old fashioned values.  They feel like they are “the only ones” who struggle to overcome chaos in order to create a peaceful home environment.  They feel like everyone else “has it all together” and they are “the only ones that don’t.”

When we feel the most alone and vulnerable, that is when we need to reach out the most–to our G*d (if that is what you believe), to our spouse, to our family, to our community (face to face and virtual).

A simple, “Help me” can bring about profound changes.

There is a difference between asking for help and “being a bother.”  We are so afraid of being a bother that we sink into the abyss of thinking that we are all alone.  But we aren’t.  Just like we would gladly offer our help to those that ask for it, others are grateful for the opportunity to show you how much they care about you by helping you.

This post is just as much for me as it is for you.  I’m not very good at asking for help.  But a couple of months ago, The Mister and I received some distressing news.  Between that and a change in the dosage of my medication that my body needed to adjust to (similar to really bad PMS), I’ve spent a great deal of time asking for mercy.

And the cool part is discovering all of the amazing ways it is being given to me.