Spoiled with Mojitos

 

Afternoon Cocktails At Twin Oaks

After spending the day running around doing errands I came home to our lovely Twin Oaks* and whipped up a few Canapes and some refreshing Mojitos for my husband. I got my recipes from the Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook. I bought the copy they put out last year and what is so neat about the new book is that it is an exact reprint of the 1950 original.
I made the Savory Mushroom Canapes and the Cream Cheese-And-Chives Spread. On the spur of the moment I decided to add some crumbled bacon to the top of the Mushroom Canapes and I must say, they turned out to be quite good. My neighbor and my sister and brother-in- law stopped by to try out the Mojitos and to look at my fancy hair-do; my husband just enjoyed being fussed over.


* Jonathan Adler has been a huge influence on me design-wise. In his book, My Prescription For Anti-Depressive Living, he recommends that everyone name their home, no matter if it is a one room apartment or a swanky little rancher like mine. After some serious discusion, my husband and I agreed upon Twin Oaks, due to the twin oaks standing in our front yard.

Gittin' My Hair All Done Up

This past Saturday I got my hair set. My hairdresser, the lovely Ms. K., was completely into it and helped me choose a style that I think complemented my dress superbly. Let me tell you, this hair was firm. I could have dipped my head like an angry bull and knocked somebody down with this "do". My daughter and I spent the rest of the morning at IKEA where I got more than a few glances and a snicker or two. I just pointed my black, bug-eye-style sunglasses in their direction and gave them a big smile. 

Attempting to Set My Hair

 

Out and About

After trying to set my hair myself, I pulled on my spunky little shift and faux gold bangles from the thrift shop and convinced my daughter to dress up in the loudest, most devine thing she could find and then we went out to do errands. I didn't feel strange at all, as a matter of fact, it felt good to be nice and clean and pulled together. The feeling lasted right through our trip to the grocery store and the pet food store, but when we pulled into our neighborhood, I saw the landscaper that had put in some bushes for us, pacing around our front yard making notes. I must admitt I dreaded getting out of the car.
But, for the sake of this project, I gulped down my embarrassement, put on my big dark Jackie glasses, and got out to talk to him; he never said a word.
After he left, I watered the plants, folded clothes, pre-prepped dinner, made a lime Jell-O and Cool-Whip dessert and then spent the next few hours watching GIANT.
Let me tell ya, I sure am glad I'm only trying on this life for a few days, because watching Elizabeth Taylor trying to manuever around in her alloted space as the wife of a Texas land rancher, made me squirm. As I watched, a small curtain of dread slid over my bright ideas of housewifery. Suddenly I noticed how uncomfortable my dress was, and that my big fake earrings were pinching my ears. It was only 3 PM, the day wasn't even over yet, but I knew I was done. I couldn't bear to change into my lovely evening dress and spray my hair up again, before my husband got home. I was soaked, drenched, drowned by the 50's and I wanted out, pronto!
I took off all my fancy duds, tied my hair in it's usual messy ponytail, and threw on a T-shirt and jeans, and presto - I was beamed right back up into 2006. Whew.

My First Day in The 1950s - 60s

I say 1950s - 60s because the clothes I have collected to wear for this little experiment are a little jumbled so they are not completely acurate as far as time period goes. As a matter of fact, the red, white, and blue dress is from H&M, but it reminded me of something I had as a kid in the 70s; I think it fits right in. The last picture is actually from day two but I needed a fourth shot for the collage.
Anyway, it took me forever to get myself together on this first morning, I tried to blow dry my hair (I know that's cheating) into a poofy style and then ran around ironing my dress and setting up the breakfast table for my kids. I found the vintage cups last summer at various garage sales and we use them all the time, (the train cup is my daughter's favorite).
This dress is tight and by the time I finished scrubbing the bathrooms and mopping the kitchen floor, I had really had it with the whole, wearing a dress to do everything idea. I'm sure the ladies of the times, (more so in the 1950s) were used to the feeling of slips and girdles and tight bodices, but the slip and tight bodice alone were plenty for me. By 1pm that day I was worn out and had to go to my bedroom and close the door and read.

My weekend in Lancaster PA

My daughter and I went to Lancaster to visit my Aunt. We spent most of our time in the city of Lancaster on Queen street where we chatted up gallery owners and tried on clothes in the steller vintage shops they have there. I picked up a few treasures including a swirly-printed Vanity Fair lounging robe, but we all had fun trying on dresses and shoes, with my Aunt going the extra mile by slipping on a swanky halter jump-suit that turned out to fit her perfectly!  

More Lancaster Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the little diner we ate breakfast in and some shots of the farmers market in down town Lancaster. I noticed that everyone moved a little slower there, and boy, were the shop keepers friendly!