{The ultimate romantic getaway is right at home…}
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 Comments are closed  Decorating Liveable Homes  fireplaces, midcentury decorating, midcentury living rooms For some moments in life there are no words. ~David Seltzer, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Image courtesy of Captain Geoffry Spaulding on Flickr.com I shared on the Facebook fan page the other day that The Mister and I received some very sad news on Thursday that has left us heartbroken. I know we’re not the first people who are mourning a loss. I also know that a “new normal” will develop in the coming weeks and months. But, in the meantime, it sure hurts.
Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done. ~ C.E. Stowe Be wise, don't play with firecrackers, WPA poster, ca. 1937; Image courtesy of trialsanderrors on Flickr.com Many, many years ago, I was teaching my education students about creating a learning environment that entices students to want to be on their best behavior (yes, it’s possible! not easy, but possible!). As we were discussing the strategies, one of my students said rather loudly and a bit sarcastically, “But Dr. M., you’re not teaching us anything we don’t already know! This is all just common sense.” From the back of the class, her classmate quietly but firmly responded, “But common sense does not always mean common practice.” In today’s modern world, it seems like the practice of common sense has flown out the window (especially when it comes to social networking sites). We’re modern retro women. Let’s remind everyone else what common sense put into common practice looks like through our own actions.  Cropped from "Show Her It's A Man's World" Van Heusen shirts advertisement; Image courtesy of clotho98 on Flickr.com I wonder how many men bought Van Heusen shirts expecting their wives to do their bidding when they wore it? Silly men to think it would happen in real life. 3 comments - (Comments are closed) Vintage Advertisement ideal 1950's housewife, Vintage Van Heusen advertisement Dear Friends, Like many people from large families, we draw names for Christmas gifts and put a $20-25 limit on how much we can spend on the gift (either for the actual gift or the supplies for said gift). This past Christmas, my youngest sister drew my name. When I was spending a couple of days with my mother at her time share down by the beach in Orange County, we decided to go to this huge antique mall that is nearby. And that is when I saw it: The Gold Cookbook written in 1947 by Master Chef Louis P. De Gouy (with an introduction by Oscar of the Waldorf). Think of The Gold Cookbook as a cross between The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child. Money was a bit tight for us at that time so I couldn’t justify buying another vintage cookbook. But my sister could…! I called her up and asked her if she would like to give the cookbook to me for Christmas. She liked the idea. My mother took care of all of the arrangements. When I opened it on Christmas Eve, I feigned surprise and delight that she would know exactly what I wanted for Christmas. Anyway, I was browsing through my new cookbook for a new egg and cheese recipe to try and found this recipe for “Pizza Rustica or Italian Ham and Sausage Pie.” When we lived in New Jersey, we got in the habit of calling a “pizza” a “pie.” This pizza really is a pie.  Immaculate Baking Co. All Natural Ready-to-Bake Pie Crusts; I let it come to room temperature for 40 minutes in its package--twice as long as the box recommends--before attempting to unroll it. The kind of crust you use really makes a difference. I bought an “all natural” ready-to-bake pie crust made by Immaculate Baking Company at Whole Foods and was completely dissatisfied with it because the crust was dry and gritty. I should have known I was going to be unhappy with it when I had trouble unrolling it and it broke apart (yes, I brought it to room temperature) but used it anyway. I always tell clients to listen to their instincts! I wish I had listened to mine! I ended up scraping the leftover innards out of that pie crust and putting it into a homemade crust and re-baking the pie. I was planning something different for dinner tonight but it is a rather windy and rainy day and I think I will make this pie, instead! It is perfect for a Winnie-the-Pooh kind of blustery day. The original recipe calls for one pound of Italian ham and 1 pound of Italian sausage. Basically, you want a spicy ham and sausage. The level of spiciness is up to you. I found using Black Forest ham (slice 1/4″ thick at the deli) and mild Italian sausage (like they use on pizzas) to be perfect for us. Play around with the ham and sausage until you get the combo right for you. Pizza Rustica Pizza Rustica Ingredients: 1 pound Italian or spicy ham 1 pound Italian sausage 6 eggs 30 oz. carton ricotta cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon dried parsley salt and pepper to taste 2 – 9″ pie crusts (for top and bottom)
Method:  Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut the ham into small pieces.
 Brown the sausage if it isn't already cooked.
 Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a whisk.
 Add the ricotta cheese to the eggs and continue whipping/beating until smooth.
 When smooth, stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Then stir in the cinnamon, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.
 Fold the ham and sausage into the cheese mixture. (Ironically, the original recipe forgot to mention this step)
 Dump the filling into a pastry lined 9" pie plate. It will be mounded up but it settles as it bakes.
 Cover with other pie pastry, crimp edges, and make a few slashes in the top. Bake at 450F. for 10 minutes; Reduce temperature to 350F and bake for another hour, or until the crust is golden brown.  We enjoyed it for dinner with artichoke hearts and a green salad but it would be perfect served for brunch, too.
Colleges and universities don’t educate the student. The student educates himself. All we do is set up the educational environment. ~ Tracy Strevy Home Economics Students, Iowa State, 1917, Image courtesy of Don O'Brien on Flickr.com I’m going to say something that may be controversial: College students are not customers. Somewhere along the line, a rumor started that students are the customers of the institution and that the “customer is always right.” I’ve even heard that from my own students! No. Students are students. My job as the professor is to create a learning environment where the student can learn. But it is up to the students to do the actual work of learning. This student as customer mentality has led some students to believe that all they have to do is show up to class once in a while and do the bare minimum and they will get an “A” in the course. This same mentality has taken the focus off of learning and has put the focus on diploma as a commodity that will be used to get a job. As a result of this, approximately 50% of college students have admitted to cheating at some point in their college career. Did you know that there are over 3000 videos on the topic of “how to cheat” on You Tube? And that you can buy a “Why Students Cheat” paper from an online paper mill? (Here are two videos I show during my “Academic Integrity in the Digital Age” seminar: How to Cheat Using a Coke Bottle on You Tube and The Digital Generation from CBS News). This trend toward viewing students as customers started about 30 years ago when policy makers started treating education as businesses. If you notice, that’s also when universities started focusing on “the college experience” and building fancy-dancy dorms and student centers. And, although not the primary source of increased tuition, educational funding was diverted away from the actual teaching and learning process. I am making a plea to my fellow modern retro women: Let’s restore sanity to the educational process. Let’s help young people understand that learning is not about the grade but rather learning is about how to think, evaluate, write, be creative, problem solve, and learning how to learn. In a sense, the actual content is secondary to the learning process. As you can tell, I am very passionate about this topic. I have been in higher education for about 20 years, much of it spent teaching professors and graduate students how to teach college. They are passionate about their subject matter. Trust me, you don’t spend, on average, 10 years of your life working on a Ph.D. if you aren’t passionate about your subject. Professors are eager to share that passion with their students. But they can only do that when students view themselves as students and not customers. *stepping off of my soapbox* Always dress neatly, taking care to have good materials. It is astonishing how much people judge by dress. ~ John Lubbock Source: myvintagevogue.com via Julie-Ann on Pinterest I know this is a theme I keep coming back to over and over again but it is an important one: People judge us by our clothes. It may not be fair. It may not be right. But I’m just reporting the facts to you. What we wear telegraphs to other people how we think about ourselves and how we expect to be treated by others. That doesn’t mean we have to wear haute couture all of the time and spend a lot of money. But we should look nice, even when we are being casual (for example, the two sweater dresses above are comfy, casual, warm, and perfect for running errands and meeting a friend for lunch…apparently lunch was a bit more than Blue Dress expected because she is checking out the change in her wallet). When I started the “Only Own Beautiful Clothes in 2012 Challenge,” I had no idea that it would touch women so deeply. I’ve already scheduled a second retreat for this month and third retreat for March to help women clarify their own personal style and create a wardrobe plan. One of the things that differentiates modern retro women is that we believe in the importance of getting “dressed”–whether we wear retro/vintage inspired clothes or modern clothes. Because we know that when we are dressed we have more confidence and are treated with more respect by others. One comment - (Comments are closed) Wise Words of the Day 1950s woman, Clothes, ideal 1950's housewife, Quotes, Self-confidence You’d think he’d rush down to breakfast knowing this is waiting for him!  Spam advertisement courtesy of Jello Kitty on Flickr.com
This is our third affectionate look at “found photos.” Found photos are the ones that are either sold at garage sales or are found in an attic and no one knows anything about the people or what is happening. They also offer us a peek into mid-century everyday life.
 Image courtesy of ATypicalArt on Flickr.com
Add a caption in the comments section related to the photo. There’s no prize for having the best caption except for the bragging rights in knowing you’ve made us all laugh! It is that time of year again: Red Carpet Season! Back when I was a little girl, it was called Awards Season. But in the past 10-15 years, or so, the actual awards seem to be less important than what the stars are wearing on the red carpet. I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a snob. I look at a lot of the modern clothes coming down the red carpet and wonder if the starlet even bothered to look in the mirror before she left the house. But then, she’s usually getting a couture gown to wear for free, so mirrors aren’t needed. Naturally, I prefer the “Old Hollywood” type of gowns. In that spirit, here are five gowns I found while searching Pinterest and the Internet: 
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