The Cottage on the Hill

I apologize for the blurry photo as my better camera is on my phone which is currently being used by my potty training toddler to keep him securely on the potty and not running around in the bottom buff. Never mind that, though.  Look at this!  I found True Ladies and Proper Gentlemen Edited by Sarah Chrisman in Victorian Trading Company !! I have read Victorian Secrets by Sarah Chrisman and really enjoyed it.  I love her way of writing, her intelligence, her experiences, and how her book challenged me to think outside the box. I look forward to reading her newest book:  This Victorian Life. While I am not a Victoriaphile (is that a term?), I do enjoy history and understanding the past, regardless of the era.  One thought that really struck me in Victorian Secrets  is that the Victorians weren't necessarily strict prudes so much as they valued their privacy.  Not everyone lived in sprawling  mansions, and even those who did...

Yesterday evening was a quiet time in my chair watching The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer while mending my snow pants and my youngest's winter coat.  Nylon fabric and chicken fencing don't go well together.  Nothing a little embroidery floss can't fix. I love that movie.  I love Cary Grant's comedy.  I love Myrna Loy.  (One of my chickens is named Myrna Loy!) I love the scenery, the vintage rose-colored-glasses perfection, and I love the glamour shot of Shirley Temple when she wakes up.

I'm back, Cats and Kittens! Let's start anew, shall we? First, let me explain why I stopped blogging.  I partly ran out of time.  And I mostly ran out of ideas and inspiration.  (cue violins)  My precious family went through a time of serious trials over the last 6 years.  We endured the Mister's career training away from home, and the subsequent serious illness with multiple hospitalizations it caused.  We also had 2 more children (which I blogged about on here as the youngest is now 3.5) and I suffered a serious case of post partum depression.  Mister decided to return to his previous career to save his health, but it meant a pay cut on top of the all the debt accrued from such a long term illness.  As such, our poor little cottage on the hill deteriorated.  On top of that, with hopes of moving, I kept many things and our house became quite cluttered. For the past year, I've been slowly working on decluttering and making plans....

My family and I have started a new beginning!  You can follow us on our adventure HERE . The first post is HERE . I'm not sure if I'll continue this blog yet, or not, but the other blog is pretty much daily posts, so if you have me linked up in a sidebar or blogroll, please consider updating it to the new blog. Thank you, and please join me!

1:Do you sleep with your  closet doors  open or closed? Open.  My bathrobes are inside. 2:Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Sometimes. 3:Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? All over the place. 4:Have you ever stolen a street sign before? Nope! 5:Do you like to use post-it notes? I have them, but rarely use them. 6:Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? Yes. 7:Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? I think I could handle the bees better than the bear. 8:Do you have freckles? No. 9:Do you always smile for pictures? Usually. 10:What is your biggest pet peeve? The inability to keep my house to my standard of clean! 11:Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Sometimes. 12:Have you ever peed in the woods? Yes. 13:What about pooped in the woods? No. 14:Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing? Yes. 15:Do you chew your  pens and pencils ? No. 16:How many people have ...

I had a small basket of Cara Cara oranges and tangerines getting past their snacking prime.  I hated the idea of throwing them away, so I started pouring over my cookbooks for a recipe for an orange cake that uses just the juice, not the rind.   In The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking (The Southwestern Company, 1986) I found the Brazilian Orange Cake. The cake is made with orange juice (freshly squeezed from my thin-skinned citrus), eggs (separated, but both parts used), flour, sugar baking powder and vanilla. The recipe does not indicate the use of any sort of frosting, so I made my own out of heavy cream. I whipped the cream with a bit of cream of tartar, powdered sugar and vanilla.  I topped half the cake with the whipped cream and shredded coconut and left the other half I left just the whipped cream. It was moist, soft, delicious, not very orange-y, and a hit.   There is nothing like a homemade cake.

Sunbeams pour into our south and west windows this time of year. Even on days of single digit temperatures, the sunbeams warm the house nicely. I wish I had to a cat to watch enjoy the beams. For now, my toes had the opportunity.

Dishwashing Gloves, Scrubber and Drain Sieve for $5.00 at Big Lots! Washing dishes is a little more fun now. (And yes, that's my countertop.  Original 1950's...came with the house.)

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer My favorite Shirley Temple movie. They don't make them like that anymore...I mean both Shirley Temple and movies.

Everyone is shocked.  Everyone is aghast.  Utility bills in this area are going up up up like crazy!  Complaints are pouring in to the companies and the government and Facebook news feeds, but in the meantime, the bills must be paid. It is the season of lay offs, too, and a very cold winter to boot. So, it is a time to revisit those old ideas for saving money.  I have a load of laundry hanging on the lines in our (thankfully heated...thank you so much, hubby) basement instead of running the dryer.  It isn't much, but it's a start.  I'll have to start taking quicker showers instead of lounging until the hot water runs out.  It was my one luxury, but now that I have my basement room-of-my-own, I can do without the loooooong showers. Have you had to cut back?  Do you have any frugal ideas to share?  Please comment, if you do!

Spoon can be purchased through Milk and Honey Luxuries I've discovered something recently.  Allowing yourself to do something for yourself actually helps you NOT become selfish! *forehead smack* Really! I spent most of my life in the uncomfortable paradox of deferring to the other party while still remaining rather self-centered.  That eventually leads to a boiled over pot of resentment and entitlement. Add to that the self-giving life of young motherhood and I was beginning to forget who I was and what I even really liked or wanted to do.  I ended up not wanting to do....anything...at least until somebody did something for me! Thankfully, hubby picked up on my desperation, a friend encouraged me to speak up and validated my need to refill my tank, and some opportunities arose to...as cliche as it sounds...find myself.  I gave myself permission. And I am so much better for it!

There's a color from the Atomic Era that started standing out to me, recently.  Teal (or turquoise...shades within that color family)! And I've decided to give teal a chance. My kitchen is a cute Atomic blue, cherry red and white with chrome trim. But my basement retreat I hope to transform into a softer 1950's color scheme. Pink, Teal and Cream (with maybe a lavender velveteen thrown in there). I plan on trying teal with a lamp for my workstation.   So, off I went to Aunt Katie's Attic (no, I'm not getting paid to advertise for them, but it is my asylum, currently.  I go there to unwind.) but I did not find what I was looking for.   Ebay didn't yield anything I really loved, or they were too expensive. I am browsing Etsy right now, but again, price is an issue. Teal is popular at Target in their teen line.  I may settle for that, but I want a gloriously large lamp, not a desk lamp. There's Goodwill.  I could try...

12 years!!

As our family grew and our little cottage...well...didn't grow, I pretty much lost my little corners to myself, giving them up for the needs of a growing family.  Unfortunately, my introverted need for my own space and quiet is still here.  Like the lady in the etching (Susanna Wesley?), I need my "apron over my head" time. So, hubby and I decided that the play area in the basement I made for our daughter (who never uses it now that she has her own bedroom) shall be transformed into mom's retreat. Let's see if I am able to snag that pink chaise from my photoshoot for that area.  Oooohhh...and to shop for a retro-looking indoor/outdoor rug!  Hmmmm....I may have to ask hubby to do some rewiring so I can have a small chandelier and a power strip for my sewing machine and other do-dads.  Is there enough room for a TV and DVD player so I can exercise down here? I'm going to have fun planning this!

I recently had a vintage photoshoot done with Sweet On Snapshots at Aunt Katie's Attic .  Here are some of the photographs: Not liking what I'm hearing! I love that Chaise, though.  I want it! My curls actually stayed in! The coat is mine.  It is vintage seal fur!  I bought it on Ebay nearly a decade ago.  I may have to buy that hat, though. Did I mention that I LOVE that coat? There's that suit! What to make for dinner?  Isn't that apron divine?  The waistband of it is velvet!  Available at Aunt Katie's Attic, along with the phone above, the cookbook and the whisk. This one is my favorite.  It was totally a candid shot, not posed as the cat wouldn't cooperate, but it came out so well!  I feel so vintage movie star-ish in this one.  I know I don't have that pin-up face (roundish, button nose, straight hairline), but this is just so much fun to do!!

A beautiful vintage blouse, a February 1949 issues of Woman's Day and The Home Menu Cook Book from the 1930's were all found at Aunt Katie's Attic . Vintage Ralph Lauren Equestrian Vest.  Ebay! Vintage 1930's Jodhpurs.  Another Ebay find. A Vintage 40's or 50's skirt suit discovered at Aunt Katie's Attic .  Fits me like a glove!

Last month was my birthday and so came the fun of receiving and using gift cards.  I bought a foot massager with my Kohl's card, but used my Amazon and Barnes and Noble cards to get these beauties.

It's easy to pick out a shade of red lipstick when it is labeled "British Red."  (L'Oreal)

Nothing like helping my sister and brother-in-law move into their cute 1920's Bungalow to inspire me to put some elbow grease into this little cottage of mine!

First of all, closet modulars do not make adequate bookcases for homeschooling.  While the cubby hole look is reminiscent of my own school days long since gone by, they are simply not strong enough to be stuffed with books.  I just had to prop mine with a 2" lean up with a small dresser.  Now that dresser is jutting out a little, just waiting for a toe; likely mine! Still, I used what I had, but it is time to move on.  Not sure how.  Money for a bookcase in the size I need isn't easy to come by.  There's always a more pressing need, like food and doctor bills.  But, I do believe it is time to start shopping around for either an adequately enormous bookcase, or someone who can custom build an adequately enormous bookcase. Because, newer bookcases are a nicer option than fewer books!