Lessons from the past...

As I sit here thinking back over the last two weeks, I realize that I learned some very valuable lessons that I might not have learned if I didn't do this experiment.
The first lesson I learned on day 1 was about being myself no matter what.  I was so nervous to go out dressed "different" from the norm.  I was worried people would stare, giggle, or think I was weird or different.  But you know what?  I am different and so are you.  We are all different, unique, and special.  As the time went by, I was less and less self-conscience about how I was dressed and looked.  Now that the experiment is over, I've actually started to like the style I developed for this project.  I might just keep alittle of the kitschy, retro 50s style.  Because I shouldn't get my self-worth from what others think about me, but from God who made me just like He wanted me to be.
Another thing I learned is that doing things to please others gave me pleasure.  Many people think the 50s housewife was beaten down and bogged down with trying to please her husband but has anyone thought that maybe she enjoyed doing things for him?  I found that the more I did for Jim and the kids and saw the look of appreciation on their faces, the happier I was.  It makes me wonder who those people are that say you get the most happiness by looking out for yourself above others?  Maybe no one ever did anything for them just to show that they loved them... or maybe they never did anything for someone else "just because".  Either way, I think they are wrong.  You cannot manufacture your own joy by being focused on yourself only.  We were designed and created by God to put others first.  There in lies true bliss.
I'm sure I'll be back with more reflection and lessons later as I reflect more on this project.  Now I'm off to check Facebook, play Candy Crush, text my friends, all while running the dishwasher!  Just kidding... partly!  Tootles!

Sunday supper in the South in the 50s

Today is the final day of the 1950s housewife project and I'm alittle sad but alittle relieved.  I'll be so happy to use the dishwasher again!  And stop ironing everything!  And use my cell phone and Facebook again!  I'll miss the dressing up, the big meals, and the desserts! 
Sunday is big meal day and I accomplished that and went above and beyond, if I do say so myself!  My cream taters were the creamiest ever, the green beans (which I normally don't like) were buttery, bacony goodness, the chicken fried crisp yet juicy, and the Hershey bar brownies were chocolatey yet gooey.  Let me show you:

And the overall setting, including the table linens and vase of fresh flowers:
Lastly, we have a funny serious shot of the chef, working hard!

I told y'all about the dresses I bought at Ross and would like to show you my favorite one now. It's flowy, bright, classy, and so comfortable! I also got one just like this but in white eyelet.



Doing this entire 50s housewife project has been overwhelming but fun. It's got me thinking about other projects I want to do. I really love this so I'm taking it deeper. I plan to do a week long project just focusing on the cleaning schedule of the 50s housewife. I did most of it during this project but I was also focusing on the meals, my clothing, etc. so I'm going to do another project soon of just the cleaning. I'm excited to get my house in tip-top shape and want to plan to do this detailed cleaning, maybe 3-4 times a year. Another project I'm going to work on is the beauty regimen of the 50s woman. I've found daily schedules of just what she did to look her best, including exercise, and hair and face treatments. I'll update on both once I've decided when I'm doing them, and of course, I'll blog about them as I do it. This week I'll be pretty silent on here because it's the last week of English Comp II and I have to get my research paper fully completed. Check back soon for the deets of my next project! Tootles!

Major fail: Petite Fours

Petite Fours, you know those lovely little cake bites that you see around the holidays, at parties, and in catalogs?  They are delicious and oh so cute, right?  Look almost easy to make too, right?  WRONG!  I was perusing my Better Homes cookbook for a dessert to make today when I came across a super simple looking recipe for really pretty petite fours. 

I've ate them but never made them so I thought I'd try.  And even better, I had boxed cake mix so I could do it quicker.  Cake baked fine, even tasted moist and good.  The first problem?  It stuck to the pan and the entire middle stayed in the pan when I inverted it.  Ah, this handy housewife decided to get creative so I cut all the pieces that I could then put the messy middle back in the cake pan for another dessert idea (more on that in a minute).
While the cake was cooling more,  I made the petite four icing from the recipe in the book.  That all looked and did fine.  It cooled to the proper temp then I added confectioners sugar and blue food color.  Looks runny but I attempt to cover the little cakes anyway.  That was my second mistake.  Runny icing not only doesn't stick on cake, it soaks into it.  After two dippings in the icing this is what my petite fours looked like:

Doesn't look like the above picture, does it? It tastes okay, not like a petite four at all, but okay.
Okay, so back to the crumbled middle part of the cake. I found a can of sweetened condensed milk in the pantry and thought it might be good to boil it until it turned to caramel and pour that over the crumbled mess.   Caramel covered cake?  Yes, please!  Well, maybe not... this is what it looked like:

 

Not very appetizing, huh? And yes, you do see some of the blue under that caramel mess. I had lots of petite four icing left so I drizzled some on this mushy mess. Needless to say, dessert tonight flopped big time. Thankfully, there's cherry cheesecake left from the other night for the Mister to enjoy. I, personally, can't stand cheesecake (and yes, I still make it for him. Now that's love! lol).  I really can do without dessert anyway.  This experiment has been bad on my (already large) waistline.  I can't believe I'm saying this but I'll actually be glad when next week comes along and I can stop cooking and eating all this fattening foods and desserts.
Off to find a dessert to try tomorrow that <hopefully> won't fail! 
Tootles!

Down hill slide

   Well, I find myself on the back side of this experiment and I must confess a few things. I'm finding it very difficult to do this to the fullest while modern amenities are all around. I've used my microwave several times, turned my cell phone on for things other than emergencies, and I've not cleaned nearly as deeply as I wanted/planned to. However, this experiment has been worthwhile and eye opening all the same. It has showed me how many hours a day I waste vegging in front of the TV or computer screen. It has helped me refocus on family. Lastly, it's helping me with my research paper for school.
   Wednesday was a day filled with cleaning, softball practice (that I didn't know about until the last minute), and sleepovers. I went to Cato fully expecting to come out with an arm full of dresses but realized how much I liked shorts and blouses. Oh and the fact that absolutely none of the dresses looked right. I'm not giving up on the dress thing though. My sweet husband gave me money for my birthday (did they do that in the 50s??) and I plan to spend it all on dresses at Ross. I always find dresses there and I can afford more for the money there than anywhere else. Supper was a quickly cooked fried ravioli, green beans, rolls, and cheesecake but I did have a lovely table setting. See? And yes I use that butter dish regularly, it's not just for the experiment.

And for your viewing pleasure, my son checking out the grub!


   Thursday, the Mommy N Me group I'm in took a field trip to Bottom View Farm in Portland and we had a blast! The kids loved the "train" ride, the animals, and the playground. I'll admit when we got home I needed to do tons of chores but I was just too tired (lazy?) to do them all. Oh, I did a new 50s housewife thing today and picked fresh flowers to put as the center piece of supper.



















   Today I did some housework and went shopping, yea I did and it felt great! And guess what?! I found dresses, three of them to be exact at Ross. Man, I love that store! Then I came home grilled steaks, made baked potatoes (in the oven not the microwave), corn, and attempted to make petite fours (photos coming in another post!). Tomorrow will be softball, yard work, opening the pool, and of course, more housework. I'm really looking forward to making a big Sunday supper this weekend too.
Time for another post then some research paper writing, yup, that's a happening Friday night in my house!
Tootles!

Days 8 and 9 done

Two more days under my belt and I'm really getting the hang of this. Is it odd that I'm sad to see this coming to an end? I took this on thinking it would be fun but I've learned so much. When you break it down, it's all about putting family and home first, which should happen anyway. Granted, the 50s was riddled with poor thinking about women but there's so much we could glean from that era. Women focused on families ahead of careers (I am not judging working moms because I was one for years and will be again). Children respected their parents and other authority figures and they were disciplined when they did wrong. One thing I've learned so far is that I cannot just do laundry one day a week. It's much more efficient in this day and age to do a load or two a day amidst other chores. Another thing I've come to realize is that I love my dishwasher! This hand washing two or three times a day is for the birds! Monday was errand day and I did my daily chore list, fixed a nice supper, and a chocolate pie. Tuesday was deep clean the bedrooms and bathrooms and man was it easier since I did it last week. There's something to this following a housecleaning schedule and I think I'll keep it up after this week. I hear it takes two weeks to form a habit so I should be in a good groove by the end of day 14. Today is deep clean the kitchen, dining, and living rooms and again having done it last week should make it go easier and faster. Oh and today is my birthday. I'm 29 for the fifth time! Tehehe. My sweet mom gave me a gift card to Cato that I think I'll go use today and you know what? I'm going to buy dresses. They are flowy, comfortable, and easy to maneuver in. Time to clean, work on homework, and go shopping! Tootles!

A weekend in the 1950s

I have survived a typical 1950s weekend and came out unscathed.  And on a holiday weekend at that.  Saturday consisted of doing some laundry and other chores.  Then my husband and children took me out to eat for a lovely Mother's Day supper.  I did wear a dress, heels, hose, and pearls but opted to leave the hat at home. 
Sunday was church as usual and I did go all out with hat, gloves, and small beaded handbag.  I was a pretty well decked out 50s lady if I do say so myself.  After church, we went to my husband's aunt's house for a large family dinner.  Due to the fact that we ate a big meal and ate it later in the afternoon, I was fortunate to not have to fix the typical big Sunday supper.  I did have it all planned out and ready though.  I will do it for sure next Sunday, complete with my Granny's chocolate pie!
I'm really beginning to like this lifestyle.  Yes, it's hard work keeping up the house to the degree they did and it wears me out making sure I'm dolled up at all times but there are good things.  I don't have the constant interruption of my cell phone beeping texts, Facebook updates, and emails.  I don't waste hours playing games on the computer and browsing Pinterest for craft and decorating projects.  I love getting to fix my hair and wear fabulous clothes.  I find myself wanting to buy more dresses and hats from that era.  I already have a vintage hat collection but I want to find some more that I can wear.  I've added buying a 1950s retro car to my bucket list.  Focusing so much time and effort on my husband and kids gives me such a rewarding feeling.  If I wasn't a believer that God puts each person here for a set purpose at a set time, I'd swear I was born 60 years too late.  I could fit in so nicely in the 50s.  There are so many things that I'm sure will stay with me long after this experiment is over and that my friends makes this all worthwhile.
Now it's time to get my cornbread out of the oven so I can have a nice bowl of cornbread and buttermilk while I work on my research paper for school.  Oh, sorry that there are no pictures today but I'm sure y'all are tired of seeing all the dirty places in my house.  Tootles!

Scrub a dub dub, one lady in an oven?

  Sorry that I didn't update after days 3 and 4. They were actually pretty boring so I didn't think y'all would mind. A dear friend, Mrs. Ray (Jaimie) and I had a yard sale Wednesday and Thursday so I didn't get too much done on my weekly chore list but I sure made up for it today! I'm not sure if yard sales were popular in the 50s but I figure it was okay for me to do it. One big thing housewives did was control spending and do what they could to cut expenses. They reused things, repurposed things, and mended items instead of tossing them. So I did my part in helping our budget by making money selling things we don't use/need. I'll confess here that I didn't wear the traditional dresses, hose, and heels but it was low 80s and sunny and we were outside all day solid.
  Today was catch up day for me. I've cleaned the kitchen, done laundry, ironed, and done my usual daily routines. I'm going to post a lot of pictures, some that might embarrass me but it's all in the name of experimenting, right?  These first two pictures are my oven, before and after.  I don't have the luxury of having a self-cleaning oven so I have just been too lazy decided to clean it but I was forced to chose to clean it today.

 

As you can see, it isn't perfect but it's a huge improvement and it sure took a lot of elbow grease! Matter-of-fact, I bent over so much that my knee has hurt all day. And I decided to use the cleaning agents a 50s housewife would: sea salt, vinegar, baking soda, and elbow grease. I think that after I can use the computer again, I'll look up different oven cleaning techniques to do and blog about. This next picture is the inside of my cleaned out fridge/freezer. And for the record, I do clean the fridge out regularly. Yes, I know it looks like there's not a lot of food in there... and you're right, there isn't!
This next picture is the piles of ironing that I did (this is before). One pile is clothing and one is all the table linens.

The last picture is a close up of a lovely vintage table linen set that belonged to my Grandma Bea.  It was still wrapped like it was when she bought it.  I'm sad that my table isn't long enough to use this fabulous set though.

Tomorrow is the day set aside for everything that didn't get done during the week or that needs to be done again. I shouldn't have too much to do and hopefully Jim will be home to mow. Then maybe I can convince him to take us out for a nice Mother's Day supper. I just hope him and the kids will be fine going out with me dressed to the 9's in my 50s attire. Tootles!

Day two is complete and it was alittle more intense than day one.  Day two on the weekly cleaning schedule is deep cleaning the bedrooms (all 4 of them) and the bathrooms.  I must admit I thought it would be an easy task, until I read just how detailed the cleaning was.  "Polish the faucet"... seriously??!!  Anywho, I believe my bathrooms are shinier than they have ever been.  Did you know that the glass pretty things on the light fixture can come down?!  I took mine off the bathroom and bedroom fixtures and man were they nasty.  I even have pictures for your viewing pleasure. :)

This first one is just a quick view of my bathroom. Lovely, isn't it?

This one is a close up of those glass things I was talking about. I really wish I would have gotten a before picture to show you how amazing this truly is. But, if I would have done that, then you'd see how nasty they were... hum, catch 22, I suppose.

Check out these bright white baseboards! Yes, I see the paint on the tile. I'm not the best painter in the world so just overlook that, please.

Okay, this one almost embarrasses me. This is the water after cleaning the four glass things from the bedroom ceiling fan. Gross, right? The hubs even commented on how nice the bedroom and bathroom looked. :) Supper was a much better success than day one. I made a nice pot roast and potatoes and carrots with a side of green beans. And spinach dip, just to make up for the disaster the night before. On to day three, or day one of the yard sale. Wish us luck and if you live around here, come on out, sit a spell, and buy some stuff! Tootles! Oh, before I forget, some more puppy cuteness!

One more post... the new additions to our family

I must be absolutely crazy because not only am I taking on this 1950s project for the next two weeks but we just got two new puppies.  Some neighborhood dogs had pups and they came to our house to visit Sunday and of course, my girls fell in love!  After begging asking their father nicely, he said they could each keep one.  So, two new pups, an old dog, an even older cat, 3 kids, a busy husband, and a frazzled housewife.  Perfect. 
Anyway, here are the new babes.  The brown one is Kenzie's and her name is Daisy.  The black one (with good taste in shoes!) is Cassidy's and her name is Bella.

Day one done!

Whew! Day one is officially in the books and day two is off to a smashing start! Only, err, um, 13 days to go?! I can do this... I think. Seriously, day one wasn't so bad. Monday is my errand/grocery shopping day but I had to add in laundry as well. Yes, I even ironed, just couldn't bring myself to do our under garments though. I think I actually heard my ironing board say "what's this bright light shining on me? And what is this hot feeling?" I'm pretty sure that was like only the fourth time I've ever taken it out of the utility room. This may sound superficial or silly but the worst part of yesterday was the fear that people would stare and think I looked odd or out of place. You see, that's because I was wearing a full dress, heels, pearls, and the icing on the cake, a blue 1950s hat. (These pictures were before I put my pearl earrings and necklace on.)

(just noticed that my gray hair really looks blonde in that second picture, pretty cool!) When I left the house, I was feeling alittle worried but I pushed on anyway. Then I got to the bank and got the biggest compliment from Mrs. McCall (Reba). She was just going on about how lovely I looked and how I would have fit in perfectly in the 50s. Self-esteem boosted, now on to the grocery store. In Save-A-Lot I got a few stares then another compliment on my outfit. Nice, self-esteem even higher. Off to Walmart and you know what? No one even looked twice. I guess they are so used to people being dressed crazy or in their pajamas that I didn't stand out either.
  Oh wait, let me add that I HATE wearing heels all day! I think my feet are convinced I'm trying to torture them. And pantyhose? If I could get my hands on the man (yes, it had to be a man, no woman would do that to another woman or herself) that invented these things I'd like to kick him square in his behind! At one point I actually saw smoke coming from my inner thighs were the nylon was rubbing so much it was about to start a fire. I'm seriously considering buying a garter belt just so I can wear stockings that hook on instead of full on pantyhose. Added bonus? Garter belts and stockings are sexy no matter how fat your legs are!
 The food turned out okay, not great but most of it was eaten. I made beef stroganoff over egg noodles, homemade rolls, peas, and strawberry Jell-O pie for supper. Granted the stroganoff looked more like a lumpy, thick, reddish gravy. At least the rolls and pie were big hits. Tonight's dish will be pot roast with potatoes and carrots with green beans and leftover pie. Oh, and more rolls because bread was a staple in the 50s home. My schedule has met a slight change. My dear friend, Mrs. Ray (Jaimie) and I are having a yard sale tomorrow and Thursday so today I'll attempt to deep clean the bedrooms and bathrooms and also finish pricing yard sale stuff. Tomorrow's cleaning will get started today if possible and if not, pushed to whenever I can fit it in. I foresee a few late nights in my future. Well, that's more than enough time in 2013, time to return to 1950. Tootles!

1950s housewife strict weekly cleaning schedule

Another nifty thing I found over at The 50s Housewife Project is an extensive weekly cleaning list.  I altered the list to fit my needs, schedule, and family.

Weekly cleaning schedule:
•Monday: This day will be a kind of errand day. I will go do the grocery shopping, go to the post office or library. Anywhere else I need to go that week. After returning home and putting away the groceries I will have the rest of the day to do the mending or any sewing.
•Tuesday: Deep clean the bedrooms and bathrooms. Bed linens are laundered and the floors in the bedrooms are swept, windows in these rooms are washed, bathroom floors scrubbed, and bathroom fixtures shined, bath tubs and toilets are scrubbed and disinfected. Garbage pails are also scrubbed and disinfected.
•Wednesday: Do a deep cleaning of the kitchen, living room, and dining room. In the kitchen the appliances are thoroughly cleaned every week. That's the stove, refrigerator, and any small appliances like the toaster. Windows are washed in all these rooms and the floors are scrubbed spotless. Thorough dusting in each room and replace any fresh flowers in the home.
•Thursday: Wash clothes. Not everyone had an automatic washer so many 50's housewives still had to do this by hand. It was an all-day chore. (I will not be trading out my modern washing machine because I cannot afford to buy a washer just for this experiment. Also, I may have to wash 2 different days as 5 people acquire a lot of dirty clothes!)
•Friday: The day after wash day was always dedicated to ironing. I will iron everything, right down to underwear. Table linens and sheets will be ironed. This will be another all day chore. Let me say here that I HATE (despise, cannot stand, loathe) ironing. Matter-of-fact, I could count the number of times I’ve ironed in my adult life. I do it only when my husband or kids beg me to or I need to iron a hem for sewing. My philosophy has always been “if the dryer can’t get the wrinkles out, don’t wear it!”
•Saturday: Saturdays are for finishing up any loose ends from the week before and doing any preparations for my big Sunday dinner.
•Sunday: Usually this is a day of rest. The only tasks for the day will be a shorter version of the everyday chore list and to prepare a lavish Sunday dinner.

Wowzers!  What have I gotten myself into with this project?  At least I will have a sparkly, shiny, spotless house when this 2 weeks is up. (even if I'm utterly exhausted and frazzled beyond comprehension).

A day in the life...

So, while researching for this upcoming project, I came across another blogger, The 50s Housewife Project that done the same experiment and she listed what a typical day for a 50s housewife looked like. I would like to share with you now.
•Neaten all the rooms in the house, gathering items into a basket that belong elsewhere from each room. Placing them in their correct place as you move from room to room.
•Light dusting, fluff pillows, water plants.
•Make the beds.
•Hang up any clothes, place dirty ones in the hamper.
•Neaten the bathroom, put out fresh towels, refill the soap dispenser and toilet paper if needed, clean the sink.
•Wipe down the kitchen counters, sink, stove and inside of fridge.
•Take out the garbage.
•Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
•Check your menu for today and tomorrow, make a note of anything needed from the market. •Handle any outside of the home errands: grocery shopping, post office, etc. (My schedule only has 1 day for errands)
•If you went to the grocery store wash vegetables and put them away. Place the rest of the groceries in their proper place.
•Have a quick lunch.
•Start any advanced food preparations like thawing the meat or starting dessert.
•Complete an item from the weekly chore list (coming soon)
•Set the dinner table.
•Arrange the living room for an evening of enjoyment. Such as the Mister's newspaper, book, and cigarettes.
•Do a quick sweep of the floors and double check that the entry ways are clear.
•Prepare a special dish for dinner.
•Freshen up before your husband returns from work. Consider changing if your day's dress is plain. •Set out a tray for mixing cocktails in case the man of the house would like to serve drinks before dinner. (Mine doesn't so I'll be skipping this step)
•Greet your husband happily when he comes home. Do not burden with your troubles from the day as soon as he walks through the door. Ask him about his day first, listen intently to what he has to say. •Serve dinner.
Ha! Isn't that a hoot?! All that cleaning and I'm still supposed to look perfect and greet the Mr. happily? Actually, I am pretty happy when I hear the loud, unmistakable roar of that 'Stang! Oh yes, and the day doesn't start where she did. The housewife's day started when her husbands did. She got up, took 10 minutes to freshen herself, cooked breakfast, cleaned up the breakfast mess, saw the Mr. off to work and the kids off to school, then showered and readied herself before she started any of the above. How is all this fit into one 8 to 10 hour day? Stick around and we'll find out together!

Attempting to be June Cleaver

Hey there! My name is Mrs. James Proctor (Melissa). Come on in and sit a spell. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? It is 2013 but starting Monday, May 6, it'll be 1950 in my home. I will be doing a 1950s housewife experiment, complete with dress, heels, pearls, and proper etiquette. Now, I just pray that I emerge from this experiment with a greater knowledge and respect for the traditional, old school housewives… oh, yes and my sanity! Where did this idea come from, you ask. First, I’ll explain that I am already a stay-at-home mom and housewife. Secondly, I am beyond intrigued but not exactly obsessed with the 1950s. And lastly, I found a blog, Jen But Never Jenn, where the writer did the same experiment. It piqued my curiosity so I have decided to try for myself. Let me fill you in on a few details before starting this disaster adventure. Most of my information about being a 1950s housewife came from tons of internet research and a few old cookbooks of my Grandmother's. I want to be as true to the era as possible but realize some things can't be helped. I am a college student and don't think they'll take to kindly to me taking a two week break to do this so I will still use the computer and internet but only for schoolwork and to update this blog daily as often as my extensive schedule allows. I will not use modern amenities such as my cell phone (*GULP), microwave, and dishwasher (*BIG GULP). I will clean on a strict schedule just like housewives of that time did and I'll do it without my Scrubbing Bubbles, Clorox spray, or steam mop (look for an upcoming blog detailing my cleaning schedule). I will cook the typical meals of the 50s as best I can without a full on family revolt. I will get up when my husband does (which I do anyway), take 10 minutes to freshen myself up (MAIDLESS kitchen?! Seriously?!)and begin making breakfast. After cleaning the breakfast mess, I will shower, style my hair, put on makeup, a dress, heels, and pearls, even if I'm just staying home. Afterall, when the Mr. gets home, he'll want to see a fresh and lovely wife instead of a mess because apparently that was important: "Have dinner ready. Prepare yourself. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. Clear away the clutter…run a dust cloth over the tables." <---- And a housewife/mother isn't work weary? Okay, I think that's enough for now. Tootles!