57 + 1 = 58

One more week - and one more pound. I weighed in at 136 this morning, for a total weight loss of 58 lbs. That mini-goal of 134 by Saturday, February 20 is just 2 lbs. away now. Can I do it? I'm certainly going to try!

This has been a lovely winter. My parents have been in town since late November and don't plan to head home to New England until early April --- which has been fantastic (it's such a treat to see them playing with Kitten and Poppet!), but it also makes my social calendar more full than it was during my first year of The Great Housekeeping Experiment. And when my social calendar is full, I feel like I'm always one step behind in my housework. I'm looking forward to making one of my vintage dinners for them one of these nights, though, and showing off some of my new cooking skills. Boy, won't they be surprised! I guess I ought to give some thought to the menu. Maybe I can plan a Washington's Birthday celebration or something...

One of the many things on my to-do list while my parents - and their truck! - are in town is to make my major furniture purchases for my nest: a sofa and a new mattress set. We're headed out this morning to do a little "market research." I haven't been furniture shopping in years, so it'll be good to see what's out there and get a feel for the prices. (It may take me a few trips like this just to get comfortable with the money I'm going to have to fork over. When you haven't spent a lot of money on any one thing in years, the idea can take some getting used to!)

Henry Humphrey's Woman's Home Companion Household Book (1948) offers some interesting advice on sofas:

To follow a good general rule, be sure that there are as many upholstered pieces as there are members of your family. Add to these a couch or sofa and there will be a comfortable seating arrangement for both family and guests. For large gatherings, provision will have to be made for extra chairs, probably taken from other parts of the house, so consider the upholstered pieces from the standpoint of comfort for your immediate family and the average number of people you entertain.

If there is no other accommodation for an overnight guest, the living room may occasionally have to substitute as a bedroom. For this purpose, a studio couch, or some type of couch which can be made into a bed, is a sensible investment.

If the guest bedroom problem does not concern you, the living room's upholstered furniture may be of any kind or type you like. There are all sizes and shapes of sofas; there are loveseats, couches, studio couches and chairs. Quality is important when buying. Flashy exteriors never make up for solid construction.

Okay, so if there's only one member in my family, then I only need one upholstered piece in my living room + a couch or sofa. Sweet! I'm halfway there. I already own an oversized club chair and ottoman covered in a burgundy velvet. I don't have any accommodations for overnight guests, but I rarely have overnight guests --- and now that my parents have a place out here which is going to be vacant half the year, you might say I have a guest room just across town. (Just kidding!) I would like to upgrade to a larger apartment at some point - one with a second bedroom for Kitten or Poppet to sleep in when they stay over at Auntie's - so while a sleep sofa might come in handy once in a great while, I probably wouldn't need it in my next place. I suspect sleep sofas are much more expensive than traditional sofas, but that's something I need to look into while I'm out shopping today. It's still on the table.

What do you suppose a "studio couch" is? As near as I can figure from the instructions in this book on slipcovering a studio couch, it's a flat piece you'd leave bolsters on during the day for seating and remove them at night to convert it into a bed of sorts. My great-aunt, who built and furnished a home in the 1940s with her husband, had two of these pieces on the sleeping porch. When my sisters and I were visiting, we'd take the bolsters off at night, pile them on the floor, then spread our sleeping bags on top. There were three of us and only two of the couches, so one unfortunate sister always ended up sleeping on the window seat. Luckily it was padded!

The living room in my apartment is not large, so size is key. I'm aiming at something about the size of a loveseat. And if I need a larger sofa in my next place one day, I'll still be able to get some use out of the smaller sofa in another room or as a second piece. I'm planning on something with a fairly neutral upholstery - maybe a medium tan or straw color - but who knows what'll strike my fancy. It probably won't be any of bright jewel tones popular in '40s upholstered furniture. Check out the blues and greens and violets in these vintage slipcover advertisements! You never know, though.



Here are the background colors I have to work around. My living room has wall-to-wall carpeting in a dingy apartment blue (think slate blue). The walls and woodwork are painted apartment beige. The window blinds I have to leave in place per my lease are apartment beige as well. My one upholstered chair is a deep burgundy.

I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks as always for making this blog a place where I can focus my thoughts and refine my plans. Y'all are the best!!!

56 + 1 = 57... and Life Insurance

Sayonara, 138! I weighed in at 137 this morning, for a loss of 1 lb. last week. It was a week that tried my willpower. Lots of chilly temps, cloudy skies, and rain. Conditions that conspired many times to making my walks seem so not the thing to do. And wouldn't you just rather curl up indoors on a day like that, eating comfort food and watching season 4 of The Office on DVD? Well, I managed to pull one out in the end, but it wasn't always a given. Onward and upward! I've got 3 more lbs. to go to reach my mini-goal of 134 by Saturday, February 20...

Life insurance - the face of your policies should amount to 2 or more years' income

When it comes to life insurance, the authors of The Manual don't have any insta rule-of-thumb on what percentage of your income should be spent on premiums. Probably because the amount and type of life insurance policies varies so much per family.

How much life insurance? For a family of two, enough insurance to pay bills in case of the husband's death, and to provide a temporary income for the wife - say a $5000 ordinary life insurance policy type costing $80-$100 a year. When a child is expected and for every additional dependent in the family another policy should be taken out in temporary-term life insurance of $1000 to $5000 or more, costing only $10 a year for $1000, and carried until the child reaches majority.

As a one-member, single-income family, I guess the only life insurance I need to carry at this point in my life is enough to pay any bills related to costs of death - funeral expenses and something to cover whatever costs there might be in closing my estate, however small it might be. My employer pays about $1 every two weeks to carry a basic $15,000 life insurance policy in my name. That's probably enough, right?

The Manual goes on to address retirement savings. For those without a pension or who couldn't look forward to any kind of Social Security income, it was recommended that they purchase an "old age annuity" from their life insurance provider. I've been contributing to a state retirement plan for two years now and have been paying into Social Security since I was 16 years old. I'm not always sure that the Social Security will even be there by the time I retire, but at least I have something else now for retirement savings.

Most teachers look forward to a pension, and are depositing annually 5 per cent of salary for it; through Social Security legislation, most workers anticipate old-age pensions; any family that does not have this old-age protection should devote 5 per cent or more of income to an old-age annuity secured from a life insurance company.

Finally, some sage advice on payment plans. You can save big bucks - or purchase a better policy - if you pay the premium in one lump sum instead of in monthly payments. This is something I need to begin doing when it comes to auto insurance.

Families that are buying their life insurance by weekly payments to a collector should transfer to a plan payable every three months, or once a year, at the company's office, thus increasing their insurance by half as much again at the same annual cost. In a few states it is possible to buy life insurance cheaply through savings banks. This type of insurance should be made legal in all states.

Life insurance is the last of the categories of expenses for which the Manual provides some guidelines in its "pattern" budget. Next up: a summary of my income and expenditures for the month of January 2010. How do my actual income and expenditures compare to what I've estimated I'm spending in each category?

55 + 1 = 56... and Advancement

Advancement - 15-20 per cent of income.

The title to this category caught me off-guard at first. What could they mean by "advancement"? Here's the scoop:

Now for another main heading of our budget - advancement or development. Under this heading come health, recreation, pocket money, personal care, automobile expenses, gifts, contributions and education.

Okay, I get it. The "pattern" budget includes separate columns for both "health" and "automobile expenses" - acknowledging that these items probably make up the lion's share of expenses related to advancement. This is such a wide-ranging category it's going to be tough for me to come up with any kind of estimate as to what I'm spending, but I'll give it a shot.

Under health we list medical and dental care and drugs. Regular visits to your physician and dentist are cheaper than emergency measures necessitated by neglect. The Chinese pay their doctors to keep them well, and this seems to be the best idea of all. Hospital insurance, costing two to three pennies a day, is a wise investment for every family, even though they may never need it. And meeting bills caused by illness, through membership in an insurance association, is a method which is now becoming available.

Thankfully, in 2010, I can count on more than just "hospital insurance" - as long as I'm employed at my current job, that is. I spend $73.70 per month on medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums + $39.16 per month on long- and short-term disability premiums. During the past month, I've also spent $70.00 on co-pays. As near as I can figure, I've spent $35.58 on medication and vitamins during the past month. Though my premiums are steady from month to month, these last two figures will always vary. My total spending on health during the past month is somewhere in the neighborhood of $218.44.

Monthly automobile expenses include my car payment ($210.14) and car insurance ($60.17). I've only spent $26.33 on gas during the past month, but I'd better deduct from that the $18.63 I estimate spending on gas for my commute to work during the past month. (That falls under the "shelter" category in my vintage budget.) That leaves $7.70 spent on gas for non-commuting travel. I haven't had any maintenance or repairs this month, so my costs are definitely on the low side. My total spending on automobile expenses during the past month is about $278.01.

Recreation almost deserves to be listed under health, so essential is it to well-being and happiness. It is not at all necessary to be extravagant in order to have fun, but neither is it wise to be stingy to the point of starvation.

Sadly, I can't think of anything I've purchased during the past month that truly counts as recreation. Something to think about...

Magazines, newspapers, books and circulating-library fees all come under the head of education, as do fees for professional associations, school expenses, etc.

Nope, nothing here. I don't have any magazine or newspaper subscriptions. I rarely buy books, and the libraries I visit don't charge any circulating fees - unless you're late! I don't have any expenditures to chalk up to education during the past month.

What's left? Personal care --- here's where beauty products, haircare, and other toiletries come in ($63.24 during the past month). I've spent $10.79 during the past month on gifts and $11.00 on contributions. The one item I haven't really been able to categorize, but seems to fall into the "advancement" area, is a bouquet of tulips I bought last weekend for my desk at work. I guess I'll just have to consider that $12.95 as pocket money!

My total spending on "advancement" during the past month = 594.43 or 16% of my gross monthly income of $3666.67. I fall squarely into the 15-20% figure recommended by the authors of The Manual when it comes to this category. Next up: Savings.

PS: I weighed in at 138 this morning --- 1 lb. closer to my mini-goal of 134 by Saturday, February 20. All aboard! It's full steam ahead on the reducing train!!!

51 + 2 = 53... and Clothes

Take that, holidays! I lost 2 lbs. last week and weighed in this morning at 141. It's been awhile since I tried setting a mini-goal for myself, but I'm going to try one now. I want to weigh in at 139 by Friday, January 22. Boy, would it be swell to see a 3 on that scale!!!

Clothes - 15 per cent of income

At first glance, the authors of The Manual appear to be mighty generous in the allowance allotted for clothing in the "pattern" household budget. When I added up my spending on clothes for the last 90 days ($420) and divided it by three, I find that I'm spending on average $140 per month on new clothing and shoes. That's 4% of my gross monthly income of $3666.67.

Wait a minute, though. I bet that 15% figure applies to the amount ideally spend on clothing for an entire family. And the average family in 1945 was a family of six. If you split 15% six ways --- well, I probably ought only to be spending about 2.5% of my income on clothes - or $91.67 per month. If I wasn't dropping clothes sizes at the rate I've been dropping 'em, 2.5% would probably be just right. These are unusual times, however, and I have to take into account the fact that during the last nine months I've dropped from a size 18W to an almost-maybe-super snug size 8. I've had to replace my wardrobe four times!

The authors of The Manual also acknowledge that various members of the family would ideally spend differing amounts on clothes. The figures in the passage below are annual expenditures. I've included its equivalent in 2008 dollars in brackets after each figure:

In a wage-earner's family, the wife's clothing may cost about $70 [$829]; the husband's nearer $100 [$1184], and the children's from $25 to $60 each [$296-$711]; but older-teen and working young people's more of course than their parents'. On a $2400 [$28419] family income the mother's and the father's clothing may each be about $100 [$1184], hers perhaps a little more than his; on a $3600 [$42629] income they will each have $150 [$1776] or more and hers will be definitely the larger. Yet every wife knows the importance of her husband's appearance being suitable to his vocational position; and every mother knows that children involve sacrifice of parental outlays in dress or other items.

My income is closer to the $3600 figure (in 1945 dollars) than either of the others, so I guess I might reasonably allot myself $1776 or more per year (in 2008 dollars) for clothes - or $148 per month. That's just about what I've been spending. I don't have a husband whose vocational position relies on his appearance being "suitable," but my own vocational position sure does! The lines they draw in that last passage are interesting. Older teenagers and "working young people" are expected to spend more for clothing than either their parents or younger siblings. I guess the authors of The Manual recognize that a polished appearance is vital when you're of marriageable age. Wives of wage-earners are expected to sacrifice what they'd like to spend on new clothing (or fabric and other supplies to fashion new clothing at home) so their husbands and children will have all the clothes they need. Wives in the middle class have a little more leeway and are expected to spend as much or more than their husbands spend on clothing. After all, they've got a social ladder to climb.

However, many factors affect the amount that must be spent for clothing - climate, activities, interests and social or business obligations, all are involved. A list of the year's needs should be made for each member of the family, and the items on hand checked off. It is often necessary to look ahead two or three years in order to plan wisely for a major purchase such as a winter coat. An estimate of the cost of items to be purchased can then be made. Actual expenditures depend upon your ability to compare quality and price, to watch for sales at reliable stores, to read labels and to follow directions for care. If you know the best methods for laundering, mending and pressing, you can prolong the useful life of clothes.

Some very sensible tips, these. Planning far ahead of major purchases would come in particularly handy for mothers of several children. (Especially when they're at that age where they're in a new shoe size and new dress size every year!) The last two tips remind me that the budget worksheet in The Manual includes a category under clothes for "clothing upkeep." They don't seem to count laundry costs in this category - these fall under "operating expenses" - but I imagine this would include things like tailor's bills, sending clothes out for special care, supplies used at home for mending, the purchase of new ironing or pressing equipment, shoe polish, and so forth. Can you think of anything else that might apply? I haven't made any purchases yet this year that seem to fall into this category, but I'll keep my eyes open. Next up: Operating Expenses.

Week Fifty-Nine: The Mission

Who keeps the budget? Some authorities say the man of the house should accept this responsibility. Other believe that the homemaker, who spends 85 cents out of every dollar, is the logical person to record expenditures. We believe that the choice should be made by the family, and that the one who takes most naturally to figures and records should keep the budget.

America's Housekeeping Book (1945)

I slept restlessly last night and woke early this morning wondering why my New Year was off to such a restless start. I've spent the last week recovering from a bad cold and - still feeling weak as a kitten - gave up my plans for a New Year's Eve out on the town with friends to spend the evening at home with a cup of herbal tea. I had a hard time falling asleep, though, and got up early this morning after tossing and turning all night long.

At first, I wondered if this was an ill omen for the year ahead, but now I think it's just a sign of a woman itching to get started. That's why I'm restless. It's been kind of a crummy autumn. Between changes at work, the lump in my breast, and my grandmother's death, it's been hard to get any real traction for awhile now. But they say bad things come in threes, right? Something about this new page on the calendar makes me feel like I've got a chance to gain some real momentum again in transforming my life.

After all, this is the first New Year in as long as I can remember that my resolutions do not involve radical new hoped-for changes in my lifestyle. This year, in 2010, my resolutions are continuations of progress I've already made in the last year: 1) I resolve to lose 26 more pounds - and continue making my body more strong and flexible. 2) I resolve to pay off my car, finish paying off the last of my credit cards - and continue paying down my student loans and building my savings. 3) I resolve to take better care of my skin, my hair, my nails, and my teeth - and continue taking better care of my insides, including regular self-breast exams! 4) I resolve to re-furnish and redecorate my apartment - and continue learning how to become a better housekeeper so that I can take care of my new things. 5) I resolve to date - and continue putting myself out there to make new friends and feel more settled here in this new city which has become my home.

Nope, nothing radically new this time 'round. I think it's a good sign that my New Year's resolutions for 2010 are all works in progress. And there's no time like this morning to get started. First order of business is a weigh-in. I've put off doing so for the last few days because my cold made me feel like I was retaining water, but that feeling has started to pass. My net damage for the holidays = 1 lb. I weighed in at 143 this morning. Well, I guess that's not too bad in the grand scheme of things --- but the season for indulging is over, so that's as far as I'm going to allow that damage to go. It's time to move that scale in the right direction again. And I know exactly what I need to do - and need not to do - in order to make that happen!

For centuries, a New Year's tradition for heads of families was to get the year off to a fresh start by settling accounts. Paying debts, entering new contracts with employees, and taking a hard look at the household's assets and liabilities. How better for me to begin my year than to do the same for my own small household... The authors of The Manual dedicated one of their earliest chapters to "Money Management." Before they even get started on housekeeping methods, laundering, or home decoration, they focus on one of the most important issues facing the 1940s housewife: how to make ends meet. That's no easy task during the Great Recession, but aren't we incredibly lucky we don't have rations, shortages, and skyrocketing postwar inflation to deal with? So many of our own financial troubles today are entirely under our own control - in our spending habits, our savings plans, and our lifestyles. Here's a rough "pattern" The Manual's authors set forth for the healthy household budget:

Rent (if heat is included) - *25 per cent of income

Rent (if heat must be supplied) - *20 per cent of income

(If you are buying your home, or already own it, the "rent" is the total of interest on mortgage, taxes, interest, upkeep and repairs which should not ordinarily exceed 1/8 to 1/10 of income. If payments on principal are included it may reach 1/4 to 1/5 of income.)

Clothes - 15 per cent of income

Operating expenses - 10-15 per cent of income

Food - 20-35 per cent of income (the smaller the income, the larger the percentage that must be spent for food)

Advancement - 15-20 per cent of income.

Savings (other than life insurance) - 10 per cent of income

Life insurance - the face of your policies should amount to 2 or more years' income

*Provided that in your community it is possible to provide safe shelter for your family for this amount.

If you're scratching your head about the category titled "Advancement," you're not alone! The Manual goes into further detail about each of these budget categories, and my mission for the week ahead is to share these details with you as I examine my own household budget. How does it compare to the pattern? How 'bout yours? Where can I make changes in my own spending habits to help speed my way toward the second of my New Year's resolutions?

A Happy New Year to you all! Wishing you each the greatest success with your own resolutions for 2010.

51 + 1 = 52

There's another week - and another hard-earned pound - under my belt. (I should probably say out from under my belt!) I weighed in at 142 this morning, making a total weight loss of 52 lbs. since beginning my vintage fitness and reducing plan eight months ago.

A co-worker and I were looking at some pictures from old holiday parties the other day and I gasped aloud when I saw a picture of myself from the 2007 party. I was at my heaviest then (208 lbs.) and looked just as miserable as I remember feeling. My face in particular --- the skin looked as if it had stretched as far as it possibly could to contain all that flesh I'd packed under it. I'm paying today for all that trauma I put my skin through when I gained weight. There are stretch marks on my arms, my breasts, my legs, my belly. I wish I could exercise these away, but I'm afraid they're going to be permanent reminders of a very sad period in my life. A friend has suggested I try applying apricot kernel oil. That it won't make the stretch marks disappear entirely, but it may fade them a bit. I'll let you know how it works.

I've been reflecting a lot these days on my weight loss during the past year and wishing I had something profound to say about it. Something that would magically sum up all that I've learned. I'm not sure how profound any of this might be, but I'd like to try and put down some of the things I've been thinking about. If any bit of it sparks an idea or reflection that helps somebody reading this, it will have been worth every keystroke...

One of the things that has surprised me most about weight loss is how much of it is mental. True, there's plenty about this process that's physical. I'm reminded of that every time I drag myself to the park for a walk when I'd much rather be doing something else. Or when I'm dead tired and would like nothing better than to go to bed, but there are evening exercises that must be finished. Nevertheless, I'd say I've waged the better part of this battle with my brain. Reducing has been in many ways a mental exercise. I've devoted lots of space on my blog to writing about the physical exercises I do, so here - for a change - is what you might call my mental exercise routine.

1. The people working out nearby are not your enemy.
(1 rep per day for the first month)
The single most important thing that kept me from walking at the park before beginning this plan was my belief that the other people walking there would be thinking critical things about my weight, my appearance, or my pace. It blows my mind that I once let something so incredibly wrong - a figment of my imagination, really - keep me from improving my health and my life. There may be mean-spirited people wherever you go who think critical things of everyone around them, but they certainly aren't restricted to the park or gym where you work out. I very quickly came away from those early walks with a feeling of support instead. I met encouraging smiles from the people I walked by on the track --- and always felt such a spirit of camaraderie. We're all there for the same reason. We're all doing daily battle with the desire to sleep in or to lie on the sofa and watch a good movie instead of getting bundled up and going out in the cold to burn some calories. This is one mental exercise I no longer have to practice. Once I realized how wrong I'd been, I never looked back.

2. Invest in your health. (2 reps per week)
You could apply this exercise to the price of a gym membership if that's the best way for you to get a regular workout, but what I'm referring to here is the investment I make twice a week in fresh produce. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, I pack myself off to the grocery store to re-stock my kitchen shelves with every variety of fruit or vegetable that strikes my fancy. I used to feel guilty indulging in produce like this. It seems so much more expensive than some of the "diet food" or 100-calorie snacks you might pick up on aisles toward the center of the supermarket. But when you factor in what that produce does for your body in addition to being low in calories... No longer! I'm worth every penny. Fruit in particular is my constant indulgence. I allow myself to snack on fruit any time I like, so it's critical that there's always lots of variety at home. This rule of thumb applies to every kind of grocery I purchase. Whole grains may generally cost more than refined grains, for instance, but they're far more effective in providing the fiber your body is screaming out for --- and you just can't beat a great piece of toast made from a whole grain bread. (I can't imagine going back to white bread!) I indulge when it comes to the flours and cereals I keep about the house as well. As we speak, my pantry is stocked not only with white flour, but with buckwheat flour, wheat bran, graham flour, rolled oats, cornmeal, oat bran, and farina. With a good variety on hand, I'm much more likely to prepare the whole grain cereals and baked goods that get my day off to a good start and usually keep me from feeling hungry 'til lunchtime.

3. Tomorrow is not Day One. (repeat as necessary)
This is a biggie. It has been since the day I started and probably always will be. My diets used to look a lot like this: a) off to a great start, b) cheat, c) beat myself up about it, d) vow to start fresh tomorrow, and e) binge for the rest of the day since I'd screwed this day up anyway. Sound familiar? I still can't explain exactly what it was that allowed me to short this mental circuit, but I consciously took a different tack when I started this diet in April. Tomorrow can no longer be Day One. There is no starting over when it comes to life - and there's no starting over when it comes to my lifestyle. This lifestyle is going to be mine from here on out. If I cheat or if I indulge on a special occasion, the trick is in not calling the rest of the day "a wash." I can pick myself up at any moment and say: "Well, I wish I hadn't eaten that, but I can't go back and undo it. I can try and learn why I cheated in that particular way - and maybe avoid this mistake the next time 'round --- but I still have the power to save this day by using all the techniques I know until bedtime." I can't tell you how many of these conversations I've had with myself! I'll probably be doing this mental exercise for a long time, but it's made a huge difference.

4. Information is power. (1 rep per day)
It took me a few months to figure this one out, but a daily weigh-in has been such a help to me. Going seven days without knowing - really knowing - where I'm headed now seems like driving in the dark without any headlights. You have to get used to the rollercoaster that things like water retention might do to your results, but by and large the scale reliably reflects my behavior the day before. I might be able to relax in this area when I've lost all the weight I need to and I've shifted into maintenance mode, but while I'm actively trying to reduce this kind of daily feedback is critical. You'd be amazed how often thoughts of cheating can be put aside in the late evenings when I know I have to get on that scale in the morning!

5. You can live comfortably with the feeling of hunger. (repeat as necessary)
I'm still limbering up when it comes to this mental exercise... It used to be that the slightest sensation of hunger - or any kind of discomfort, mental or physical - would find me running to the kitchen to find something to stave off the pain. But there's a major difference between the sensation of hunger and actual hunger pains. One of the things I'm learning is that you have to learn how to live comfortably with the sensation of hunger in order to reduce your calories enough to lose weight. It feels good to me now to wake in the morning with actual hunger pains. I don't think I've allowed myself to feel what an empty stomach feels like in years. And it's okay. Sitting down to a meal with genuine hunger makes it possible to savor the taste and texture of genuine food. Empty stomachs should be satisfied, but it's those early sensations of hunger that need to be worked around. You don't need to start pitching food down the gullet the minute your stomach has a little bit of space inside and calls out for more.

Back to the Basics: The Weekly Edition - cont.

Even steven on the scales this morning. I weighed in at 143 --- same as last Sunday. That's very okay with me this time 'round. I had a small mass removed from the inside of my leg about ten days ago and - during the first half of this last week - I wasn't able to take my daily walk. It was a tiny incision and it's healing nicely, so I was able to start walking again after taking just a week off. Anyway, that's why I'm pleased as can be just to break even today!

How are your holiday preparations coming? Come to think of it, some of you may be celebrating the holidays already. Hanukkah is already in full swing... At Mass yesterday evening, the priest urged us during this third week of Advent to "set anxiety aside" and rejoice in the season. So I'm taking a break from that never-ending Christmas list this morning to bake some Christmas cookies with Kitten and Poppet. I think we'll try some simple recipes. Cookies they'll be able to help cutting, rolling into balls, and decorating. Maybe some gingerbread men and sugar cookies shaped like stars.

The holidays are the one time when the only recipe that will do is an old family recipe. Isn't it funny how something as simple as a little card with a list of ingredients and instructions - something as easy as the way a cookie tastes - can bridge the decades and take us back to our own childhood? People spend thousands of dollars trying to "make memories" for their children by taking them to places like Disneyworld and planning fantastic birthday parties complete with catering, jumping castles, and paid entertainment --- and yet the things children carry forward with them and look back on with fondness are often some of the simplest things of all. Like working in the kitchen or the yard with a parent. Or the cherished ornaments brought carefully out of their wrappings every year and hung on the tree. How easily the taste of a beloved recipe reminds us of helping a parent or grandparent make that recipe and sharing it with them at the kitchen table! I wonder if my Nana could ever have known she was creating such memories as we watched her take a warm, gooey pan of sticky buns from the oven or cut a piece of idiot's delight for her granddaughters.

I've been working hard these days on getting back to the basics when to comes to my weekly chores. This past week, I was able to get each of my weekly chores done on time on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. This week, I'm going to strive to get everything done on time through Friday evening. Here's a list of my weekly tasks for each of the weeknights. Wish me luck!

Monday: Washing. Fold and put away wash. Prep ironing.

Tuesday: Ironing. Put away ironing.

Wednesday: Light marketing. Put out fresh linen in the bathroom.

Thursday: Weekly cleaning of my bedroom.

Friday: Weekly cleaning of my kitchen.

50 + 1 = 51

It's Sunday morning --- which means not only that I'll be heading to church soon to mark the second Sunday of Advent, but it's time to share my weekly trip to the scales. I weighed in at 143 this morning. 1 more lb. has officially entered the annals of history! (At least, I hope so.) My weight isn't dropping anywhere near as quickly as it did over the summer, but it's still dropping. And that's what counts most. 26 lbs. to go.

I was searching for some information about Nina Fedorova, the author of our Book of the Month for January and came across this darling newspaper write-up of a women's club meeting in Ludington, Michigan. The Lakeshore Sunday Club gathered at a private residence to hear a review given by one of its members on our featured book, The Family. After the book review, a young lady (who was probably the daughter of the hostess) played some songs on the piano and then they hit the refreshment table. It's a pretty detailed account of the evening - right down to the color of the candles. About the only thing it doesn't explain is why the Sunday Club was meeting on a Tuesday night!

Club Hears Review of Prize Book
Ludington Daily News, January 23, 1941

A splendid book review formed the program for the regular meeting of the Lakeshore Sunday Club, held on Tuesday evening at the home of Mrs. Ralph Sheldon, 403 North Robert street.

Mrs. Gail G. Owen, vice-president of the club, presided over the short business meeting in the absence of the president, Mrs. Erving Clark.

Mrs. Jack Abrahamson presented the program, an excellent review of the book, "The Family," by Nina Fedorova, which received the Atlantic Monthly Prize of $10,000. The author is a Russian citizen who fled her native country and is now living in Oregon. She plans to become an American citizen.

The story of the book involves a family of White Russians who fled to China, "and ordinary family which became un-ordinary." Their experiences after having established a boarding house in Tientsin make up the interesting story. The review was greatly enjoyed by the club.

Three lovely piano solos, played by Miss Jerry Lou Sheldon, concluded the program.

Later, delicious refreshments were served from a table appointed with spring flowers in a crystal bowl and with pink tapers in crystal holders.

Perhaps we'd better make sure our book group lives up to the standards of the Lakeshore Sunday Club. Would anyone care to serve as a Refreshments Committee of One? Maybe you can track down some 1940s menu suggestions for a club meeting and share some recipes with us in advance of our meeting on January 5. Even those who aren't able to track down the book can share in a recipe tasting in their own kitchen! Perhaps a Program Committee of One can suggest an entertainment for the evening that compliments the subject of the book. We'll need a Decorations Committee of One as well to recommend some decor appropriate to the season. Any volunteers?

47 + 3 = 50

Phew! The scale is headed in the right direction again... I weighed in at 144 this morning which means I've officially lost 50 lbs. since adopting this vintage fitness and reducing plan last April.

50 lbs!!! I couldn't have imagined seven months ago actually being able to make that happen. I thought then I'd be thrilled - and content - just to trim off about 20 lbs. Just to make getting around a little bit easier, make the clothes fit a little bit more comfortably, make my face look a little less puffy. Well, "content" isn't good enough any more. I'm pleased as punch with the progress I've made (just this weekend, I realized my cheekbones are starting to be noticeable again!), but I've got a long road to go. 27 more lbs. to reach goal. I'd like to be comfortably in a size 8 --- right now I'm a snug 10. And I'd like to be off the blood pressure medication entirely --- I'm now taking just 1/4 of the dose I used to take. The holidays are bound to take a toll, but I'm determined to continue losing a little something over the next several weeks!

One of the radio programs I've been feasting on these days - in lieu of leftovers! - is The Goldbergs. Known as The Rise of the Goldbergs when it premiered in 1929, this popular daytime serial could be heard every weekday on NBC for some 20 years before it moved to television in 1949. The program follows the ever-dramatic lives of Molly and Jake Goldberg, a Jewish couple living in the Bronx, who move to a farm in Connecticut with their children, Sammy and Rosalie, in an effort to improve the family fortune. The Goldbergs was written by Gertrude Berg, who also starred as the Goldberg matriarch.

I adore this show! Can't get enough of it. Many episodes have disappeared - such was the fate with most soap operas - but there are a few long runs of surviving episodes that allow you to follow along with a handful of storylines. I've been listening these days to a storyline from the early spring of 1941. Sammy Goldberg has fallen in love with a girl named Sylvia Allison and, despite his mother's suspicions and doubt about the girl, has gone to Sylvia's home in the South where Mr. Allison has agreed to employ Sammy while the couple plan a wedding. Molly, Jake, and Rosalie have driven South to attend the wedding only to learn that Sammy has discovered Sylvia's shocking deceptions. Alas, she was apparently entangled with her sister's husband at one point! Will Molly be able to save Sammy from marrying Sylvia out of guilt? Is Sylvia emotionally unbalanced and likely to hurt herself or Sammy if she fears losing him? Can Molly heal the Allison family, too? Stay tuned for tomorrow's visit "with that lovable family," the Goldbergs...

One of the most enchanting things about The Goldbergs is the ads. Oxydol was sponsoring the program at this time and their promotional spots give you such insight into some of the trials and tribulations of washday I'd never really considered before. Laundry was a very public exercise in these days before automatic dryers. In 2009, we can do our laundry at any time of day and on any day of the week and nobody's the wiser. We can wear our robes (if that's all we've got left) while we do our laundry and can cheaply replace most anything that doesn't get clean enough. For most 1940s housewives, there was no such thing as privacy when it came to laundry. A women had to literally "air her dirty laundry" on Mondays by hanging her clean wash on clotheslines that were in view of all her neighbors and passersby. When it came to laundry, there were two measures of success that must have preyed on many a housewife's mind:

1. How early are you able to get that wash on the line?
You may never have been the first woman to get it out there, but it'd be awful to be the last! It must have been a special point of pride for a housewife who was able to hang her wash up to dry early - maybe before it was even time to begin preparing lunch for herself and any children at home. The Oxydol ads point up the idea that with this revolutionary new soap you won't need to boil your laundry or use one of those old fashioned scrub boards. Just a gentle wash in Oxydol, with a little extra attention to stains, and Mondays need no longer be your least favorite day of the week. With the wash dispatched by the time The Goldbergs came on the air at noon, you'd have time to "rest" --- "more time to enjoy yourself."

2. Is your laundry white enough?
Again, you'd probably never have the whitest wash in the neighborhood, but wouldn't your family be humiliated if there were greasy, yellow linens on your clothesline? Oxydol ads promised listeners "the kind of washes women turn to admire, even envy." Whoever the marketing folks behind these ads might have been, they'd clearly found a way to use feminine competitiveness to their advantage. There's nothing new under the sun when it comes to that. Women still pick each other apart more harshly then men do --- and I think we're always much more concerned with how other women will judge us on whatever accomplishments society currently deems "feminine" than we are about how men will judge us on those same accomplishments. That's still something the advertising business uses to drive profits.

A white wash was truly a challenge during the winter when women living in northern climates weren't able to hang the wash outdoors and take advantage of the bleaching effects of sunlight. Not to fear! Housewives who had to dry their laundry in basements or attics wouldn't have to worry about a "dingy and gray" wash if they'd only pick up a box of Oxydol on their next trip to the grocer's.

Here's something this liquid detergent user never thought about in relation to laundry soap. One of the points Oxydol uses to sell its product is the idea that you won't spend Mondays sneezing from the clouds of dust that your laundry soap raises every time you pour some out. For housewives who wanted to get to know this detergent a little better before investing in a box, Oxydol partnered with Apex, a washing machine manufacturer, to make a special offer during the spring of 1941. For a limited time, if you stopped by the showroom of your local Apex dealer, he would personally demonstrate the merits of Oxydol in one of those new "time-control" Apex washers.

All this talk of a laundry has got me all excited for tomorrow's wash. Almost makes me wish there were neighbors around to chat in awed whispers if I had the whitest wash on the street. You know I like a challenge!

Let Them Eat Cake!

I've been struggling with the same 2 lbs. for about a month now... Weighed in at 147 - again - this morning. Could this be the dreaded plateau? Or is it just that my body's been through the wringer during the last few days and I'm retaining water? All I know is that I weighed in at 143 before going into surgery on Thursday. (It was a great moment!) I'm slowly but surely taking up my exercises again. The walking feels good, but I'm being extra careful with any of the stretches, etc. that involve my chest or arms. I indulged in a little bit of "comfort eating" on Thursday evening and Friday, so I'm trying to rein that in as well. I'm not beating myself up about it. These 2 lbs. may disappear just as quickly as they reappeared.

Otherwise, I seem to be healing normally. I'm still taking the ibuprofen and using cold compresses to keep the swelling down, but there doesn't seem to be any bruising yet at the site of the incision. And I don't look lopsided either! I was a little worried at the news that this mass was 2 cm. in diameter --- my breasts aren't big enough these days for 2 cm. to go unnoticed.

Hmmm. I wonder if there's a fun way to segue from breast size to oven temperatures...

I've been baking a cake this morning for my father's birthday. My folks arrived in town yesterday afternoon for the winter. I'm not sure they're feeling very festive - it hasn't yet been two weeks since we lost Nana - but I know they're relieved to be here and we'd like to mark the occasion in some way. It's not a fancy cake. I'd love to have had the energy to try some vintage cake and icing recipes. It's just a Betty Crocker mix for a butter pecan cake with some coconut pecan frosting. From a can. Eek! Sacrilege. I am baking it in a chiffon cake pan, though, and that's a very '40s shape.

The thing I wanted to say was that I noticed that the times and temperatures given on the back of the cake mix box are right on the money when it comes to my oven. Now this definitely isn't the case for me when it comes to vintage recipes. My oven always seems to run too hot for recipes from my 1945 cookbook. I invariably have to set the temperature about 25 degrees less than the vintage recipes instruct me to and remove whatever I'm baking from the oven about five minutes ahead of time --- or risk ending up with something burnt and dried out. I used to think it was my oven, but now I'm thinking that the ovens of yesteryear just weren't as well insulated as modern ovens. So they had to bake things at higher temperatures and for longer periods of time. That's my theory, anyway. Have any of you who regularly bake using recipes from this era found this to be the case?

Some of the fine ingredients that go into this sensational Betty Crocker Cake Mix can't be bought in stores. So a woman simply couldn't put them in her own cake! What's more, in her own kitchen, a woman can't duplicate the scientific measuring and blending of ingredients that go into the mix. And, remember, this isn't just a cake mix, it's a Betty Crocker Cake Mix!

Actually, cake mixes aren't entirely un-vintage. General Mills introduced three Betty Crocker cake mixes in 1948: GingerCake, Devil's Food, and PartyCake. The PartyCake mix could be used to bake a white cake, yellow cake, or spice cake - depending on whether you added egg whites, whole eggs, or spices to the mix. Cake mixes cost 35 to 37 cents per box - which translates to just over $3 today. With faith that science and new technologies could solve all problems, the post-war era was prime for the success of such products as cake mixes. What you and I know with hindsight is that no cake mix on the market beats the taste and texture of a cake made from scratch, but 60 years ago there was great hope that the cake mix would someday be perfected and produce a cake even better than that.

Cake mix or no cake mix, I'll be enjoying a very small portion myself!

47 + 2 = 49

My grandmother died on Monday night. It was truly a blessing. She was imprisoned by Alzheimer's disease and dementia for the last four years, so I'm very happy that she's finally free of them both. It's been a tough week. I thought I'd already grieved for Nana - when we lost her in one sense - but I clearly wasn't finished. I've started to write a post several times this week and was never able to finish. She's been the only thing on my mind, but her death is too personal to share.

Housework has actually been a great comfort during this incredibly crummy fall. When you're feeling all at ends with the world, there's nothing like mechanical work - tasks that don't require any kind of creative energy - to keep you from climbing the walls. It can tire you out, too, which helps you sleep at night. And for better or worse, you'll never run out of housework! Exercise has been an unexpected friend to me as well. I've exorcised many a demon as I gritted my teeth and walked my six laps at the park. If I'm frustrated by something on the job, I rejoice in the opportunity to break free at noon, draw some fresh air into my lungs, and burn some calories.

On an up note, I've re-lost the 2 lbs. I'd gained last week and weighed in at 145 this morning. (Whoo-hoo!) I tried on some pants in a size 10 yesterday and was thrilled to find that they fit me perfectly!!! So I'm headed out to do some shopping later today and pick up a few new things for my wardrobe. I may need to invest also in some new underwear. It seems my tush no longer fills out my current supply... Can't be rockin' my new figure with a saggy bottom!

An acquaintance of mine has decided to play matchmaker. She wants to set me up with a friend who's 39, hails from New York, and is a herpetologist at the university where I work. (Think lizards and toads.) "I'm always up for a set-up!" I told her. After all, how can I truly become a 1940s housewife, without becoming a wife? Let's give him a try.

Intervention

It's been a long time since I had to do one of these intervention posts!

Well, I suppose there's plenty in the way of stress I can chalk this week's scale reading up to. Hearing that I was going to need surgery was a tough pill to swallow. When I'm stressed, I snack. And two doctor's visits this week even cost me one of my walks. (I'm going to try and make that up this afternoon.) At any rate, I weighed in at 147 this morning --- 2 lbs. heavier than last Sunday. I've got no time to waste. I can see all those holiday goodies on the horizon. Doesn't it seem like there are good things to eat everywhere you go between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day? I may as well whittle away as much as I can before the holiday temptations begin...

Fitness
I purchased some a pair of 2-lb. wrist weights yesterday, so will be wearing those now as I do my morning and evening exercises everyday and when I walk on the weekends. They feel so heavy right now compared to the 1-lb. wrist weights I've been using, but I'm sure I'll get used to them! I'm starting to see some real muscle tone in my upper arms so the weights are making a difference. Several weeks ago, I added some butt squeezing exercises (how's that for vintage terminology!) to my evening routine - 20 reps. I'm also going to add some basic crunches --- nothing too strenuous to start with, just 5 reps per evening. If there's one thing that's really paid off when it comes to this diet, it's the muscle toning. It was only when I began adding these kinds of exercises to my daily routine that the weight really began falling off.

Boy, aren't you glad we don't have to work out in those bulky sweatsuits in the picture above? Exercising will probably never be my favorite thing in the world to do, but I'm grateful as can be that I can do it in fitted workout gear!

Reducing
I don't have any new missions along this line, but I do have some "housecleaning" to do. For instance, as the weather's gotten a little colder, I find myself slacking off on my water intake each day. That's obviously not paying off, so it's back to the 64 oz. per day - no ifs, ands, or buts. I'm also going to make an extra rigorous effort when it comes to snacking and portion control this week.

47 + 2 = 49

I've bid farewell to 2 more lbs. this week --- and good riddance to them. What's more, weighing in at 145 means that I've met my latest mini goal! My new mini goal is going to be 139. I'd like to weigh in at 139 by Sunday, December 13. Wish me luck. The weight is definitely coming off a bit more slowly now than it was over the summer, but I'm still headed in the right direction. By the time I get to 139, I should be solidly in a size 10.

I spent Halloween night with my nieces at a neighborhood carnival. Kitten was dressed up as her heroine of the moment - "Cingewedda" - and Poppet painted the town red as a fuzzy little chicken with orange and green striped legs. There were ghouls and goblins out in force last night with capes, tiaras, and face paint galore.

I've been experimenting with a little face paint myself recently. In addition to the loose powder I apply twice I day, I began trying a liquid foundation right down the center of my face - just trying to hit the places where I have more freckles and reddishness than I do anywhere else. Unfortunately, this is also the oiliest skin on my face. No sooner did I start using the liquid foundation than my skin began breaking out right in the very same area! One of the virtues of having been a frump for so long is that I'm starting with a great baseline. It's very easy to tell when something new is not a good idea. I went from having about one blemish per month to having two or three per week. Clearly, liquid foundation isn't a good idea for me, but I still wanted to try something to even out my skin tone in that area.

1940s beauty experts were adamant that no grown woman should consider herself fully dressed without a good foundation make-up. The right foundation was credited with giving the face everything from "a velvety finish" or "that pearly finish" to "smoothness which can’t be commanded in any other way." It was widely touted that foundation - or "base" - could even improve the facial skin:

Makeup bases are certainly a great addition to the cosmetic family and can protect the skin as well as make it look lovely. They can stay the damage of cold and wind and dust and sun. The powder clings to them and keeps your makeup fresh for a longer time. They cover up minor blemishes, and if you select the right kind for your skin, they will even act as a gentle lubricant for the extremely dry skin. (Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 27, 1944)

The Evening Independent's Alicia Hart suggested in an April 1940 article on the latest spring fashions that no look was complete without a well made-up face:

The face that is a connecting link between a new navy suit and a beautiful hat must be fresh and clean, expertly made up. Clean your face carefully at least three times a day - morning, noon and night. Don't put layers of fresh make-up on over stale. Don't expect to achieve that coveted luminous look unless you use a foundation film, cream or lotion. It's a mistake for any woman to assume she doesn't need to use a foundation preparation.

Clean your neck every time you clean your face and make it up just as carefully. The new vogue for white collars on everything - coats and suits as well as dresses - puts the spotlight once again on throats.

There were two major types of foundation on the market during this era. A cream variety - I'd guess this was similar to the liquid foundation available these days - and a "pancake" variety, "which comes in a wafer-cake form, and is applied with a moist sponge. It is this latter kind which now is generally used by the film stars" (St. Petersburg Times, May 29, 1940). Josephine Lowman advised her readers in March 1944 to select a foundation with a oily base if they had dry skin: "I have long thought the use of wet cake makeup may be extremely detrimental to dry skins, leading to coarseness and extreme dryness."

Application was everything. In The New American Etiquette (1941), Lily Haxworth Wallace recommends that after washing the face and applying face cream, "apply a lovely, smooth foundation. Use only five dots on your face, and blend it in very smoothly. The success of one's appearance depends, to a large extent, on the correct application of the foundation cream." One trick suggested by a beauty expert of the era was to dip your fingers in cold water to ensure more even coverage. At all costs, one must be absolutely sure when applying foundation that she doesn't forget her neck! "Don’t let makeup end at the chinline. Carry your foundation and face powder downward on throat. Your throat should match your face. Unless you apply makeup skillfully, it won’t" (The Evening Independent, March 10, 1941).

The truly adventurous woman might even attempt to use two shades of foundation in re-sculpting her face:

You can change your facial contour by a clever combination of light and dark foundation creams… Light lengthens and reveals. Dark shortens and conceals. Thus if you have a triangular face, use a light foundation cream on chin and lower cheeks… dark or medium on rest of face. This adds fullness. If round… apply dark foundation to lower cheeks tapering toward the chin, for a desired oval shape. If oblong… spread entire chin and jaws with dark foundation. Result is a foreshortening of the lower features. If your forehead is too deep, use a darker base than you do on the rest of the face. (St. Petersburg Times, September 2, 1945)

So what's a gal with a face that rejects a liquid foundation to do? I want that velvety finish of yesteryear, too! What I've decided to try is one of the new mineral powder foundations - just at the center of my face. I settled on a jar of Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Powder Foundation in Classic Ivory the other day. I'm no cosmetics expert, but I'm pleased with the results so far. I'll have to give this some time in order to see how my skin reacts. Now if I can just remember not to try applying loose powder on top of the powder foundation...

45 + 2 = 47

My scale and I are friends again. 2 more lbs. are gone and I weighed in this morning at 147 for a total weight loss of 47 lbs. since April. Can I make my mini goal of 145 by November 7? I'm sure going to try! I've been beating off the cravings for comfort food like crazy this week. Every time I worried about the lump in my breast and the tests coming up on Monday, my thoughts turned right to food. And the richest, fattiest, sweetest, most carb-laden foods you can imagine. None of those things is going to fix the problem that's worrying me, though. I know the same problem will be there still when I've cleaned my plate and digested all those calories --- and where will that get me! There's nothing I hate more than wasting hours of exercise on a snack that doesn't do me any good.

I've made it through six days now without caffeine. Almost. I slipped up last night during happy hour with some friends. I've gotten used to sipping a diet cola while they drink their beers and panicked at the last minute when I remembered that the diet cola would have caffeine in it. What's left to order besides a glass of water? I doubt most bars or restaurants stock any caffeine-free sodas. Maybe I should've tried ordering a sparkling water. This place we frequent is kind of a dive, so I'm not even sure if they'd have even that! I'll have to come up with a new solution for next time.

My special focus for the last few days has been getting my morning housekeeping routine back up to par and that's going well, too. I have to be a little extra disciplined with myself, but it feels good to be back in charge. Of something, anyway!

So there's my progress report on the last few days. Now on to something more exciting... One of my new tasks when I'm giving the living room its weekly cleaning is the care of any upholstered furniture:

Brush upholstery if necessary. Straighten covers. Plump up pillows.

The only brushes I've been using in my housekeeping are the brush attachment on my vacuum - for weekly cleaning of AC/heat registers - and the little brush I use to clean out the tray under my toaster. I do have one upholstered piece in my living room, though, that needs some care. It's a big club chair (with matching ottoman) upholstered in a wine-colored velveteen. This sounds like a topic I'd better do some brushing up on. What does America's Housekeeping Book (1940) have to teach me?

It is an expensive mistake to allow upholstered furniture to become badly soiled. Light surface soil which does accumulate slowly, despite regular cleaning, can be removed from certain fabrics by home methods, but deep soil calls for professional care. Greasy soil and perspiration, if allowed to remain on the fabric, will affect the dye, and there is no remedy except reupholstering or slip-covering to hide the damage.

The necessity for shampooing can be staved off for long intervals by regular care. It is sometimes necessary to brush the exposed surfaces every day with a whisk broom or upholstery brush. At least once a week the correct attachment of the vacuum cleaner should be run slowly over all exposed surfaces. Use the brush attachment for napped upholstery and the suction tool for smooth fabrics. Once a month, or oftener if necessary, a thorough cleaning is in order:

1. Remove all cushions. Clean them on all sides, using the correct attachment of the vacuum cleaner unless they are down-filled (the suction is apt to pull the down through the fabric).

2. Run the vacuum attachment slowly over the entire surface of the chair or davenport, not neglecting the backs, or fabric underneath.

3. Use the slender suction nozzle to get down into all crevices.

4. Replace the cushions.

This sounds like a doable plan. Once a week, I'll hit the "exposed surfaces" of that chair and ottoman with my brush attachment. When the living room moves into my rotation for a more intensive cleaning once a month, I'll give the chair a more thorough cleaning with both vacuum attachments. I can look at things like shampooing the upholstery once I start adding some seasonal chores to my housekeeping.

It occurs to me how bummed the 1940s housewife without a vacuum cleaner must have been as she read this portion of The Manual. There's such a focus in this section on vacuuming technique. The authors just seem to take it for granted that everyone knew exactly how to use a whisk broom or upholstery brush in caring for furniture. If those were the only tools a housewife had at her disposal, she must've felt like she was being left behind as the world on every side of her rushed pell mell into an electric future. Even today, sixty years later, just reading this piece makes me want to go out and invest in a more powerful vacuum cleaner. My little bagless stick vac might be okay for a little light carpet cleaning, but it's certainly not sturdy enough to do any serious damage to dust.

44 + 1 = 45

I've lost a pound this week - and gained a lump in my breast.

Which I'd happily trade for the pound.

Chances are it's nothing serious. Both my mom and my older sister have had false alarms, so I'm optimistic that my breast tissue is just as prone to these things as theirs. But boy does it feel like I've got a live grenade strapped to my body. And the powerless feeling is unfortunately very familiar. I remember it well from the illness I suffered during my late 20s.

So I've got to wait until the Monday after next for my (first) mammogram and breast ultrasound. Nine days. The only strategy I can think of for getting through this is just to throw myself into my housework and my fitness routine. Whatever it takes not to have time to dwell. It's actually kinda nice to have so much on my plate right now. Comfort food? I'm craving it like crazy, but these are things I have control over these days. I'll take what I can get. I'll be back later today with a more upbeat post, I promise!

Sleuthery

I've got not so good news from the scale to report this morning, ladies. I weighed in at 150 today - just like last Saturday - which makes it the first weigh-in since early August which hasn't been a success. Well, at least I didn't gain anything... Truth be told, I was a bit sloppy about my eating earlier this week and I haven't been drinking my full 64 oz. of water each day. But as I looked down at this scale this morning and saw the very same numbers that flashed across the scale last weekend, I felt a renewed commitment to my reducing and fitness plans. After all, 117 is still a looooooooooooong way off and there isn't any time to lose!

Maybe it's the change in seasons. This is the first week I've been able to turn off the air conditioning at home. Yesterday, I actually got to open the windows in my apartment and leave them open all day long. I got home from work and everything just smelled so much fresher when I walked in the door. It's much, much darker on Monday mornings when I get up early to do my weekly wash. Darker mornings and cooler temperatures are messing with my workout schedule a bit, too. Instead of having to be at the park by 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, I need to wait until at least 6:30 or 7 unless I want to be freezing in the dark! And it's just about cool enough to be able to walk outdoors again at lunchtime on weekdays. Temps only hit the 80s - sometimes low 90s - these days. Autumn in the Southwest.

A friend and I were talking about my blind date last week and I realized something that still makes me laugh. My self esteem is so healthy these days that it never even occurred to me that the emailer wouldn't be totally into me. Isn't that crazy? I was so focused on whether I liked him or not, that it never even entered my mind that he wouldn't be crazy about me! So when he didn't contact me soon after that coffee date, it caught me completely off-guard. Just to give you an update, he emailed me three days later. A quick email about a book I'd mentioned when we met each other. I wrote him back the next day - which must have been several days ago now - and I haven't heard from him since. I do believe I've been fizzled!!! This is perfectly okay, but it's just funny to me that I didn't remotely expect this kind of disinterest from my blind date. That's what losing 44 lbs. will do to a dame, I guess! Dangerous, blinding self-confidence.

Ooh, before I forget, here's a picture of the beauteous plum-colored dress I bought a few weeks ago when I first got into a size 12. It's uber flattering just exactly in the places where I need a little extra flattering. Best part? I can wash it on the delicates cycle, dry it on a hanger in my bathroom, and it's ready to go. No iron needed. Now that's fashion a housewife can appreciate.

This is the dress I was wearing on Thursday when I saw Curly for the second time last week. (I paired it with some strappy gold heels, purple beaded earrings, and gold bracelets on both wrists.) Once upon a time, I used to see Curly maybe once every month or two. Over the summer, it was once a week. These days, I'm running into him a few times a week. Which is absolutely fine with me! The man is smokin' hot. He's actually started using the men's room in the hallway right outside my office - there's a men's room just outside his office downstairs - and he came up to use the kitchen in our office suite twice last week. Now, clearly my judgment is a bit impaired these days (see Exhibit A above) so I'm trying really hard not to read anything into all these Curly sightings. But by the third day in a row last week, I started feeling a little intoxicated. Maybe there's something wrong with the men's room downstairs? Maybe he was around all the time before... Did I just never notice him?

*sigh*

Where's Nancy Drew when you need her?

41 + 3 = 44

It's gotta be all kinds of wrong to celebrate another 3 lb. weight loss and simultaneously rave about my new Butterscotch Biscuit recipe! Nevertheless, I've got to do both this morning. In fact, we've got a lot to catch up on. Let me put a pot of coffee on first...

I weighed in at 150 this morning which means I've lost 44 lbs. since beginning this vintage reducing and fitness routine in April! 1 more lb. and I can officially visit a doctor's office without the nurse having to move that slide on the scale up a whole 'nother notch. You know the slide I'm talking about? That great divide between weighing 100 something and 150 something - or 200 something, for that matter. (Been there!) My mini-goal of 145 is just 5 lbs. away now, so I'm upping the ante. I've got to make it by November 7.

My breakfast this morning is clearly not going to be contributing! The Butterscotch Biscuits were tres delicieux, but not the kind of treat to be enjoyed on a regular basis. These biscuits just melt in your mouth --- which is never a good thing for a reducer! I'm packing the rest of this batch into the freezer as soon as they're fully cooled. They were fairly easy to make. Took me about 20 minutes - and only 10 minutes to bake. Start by mixing up a batch of Baking Powder Biscuits dough. Here's where things get interesting:

**************************************************

BUTTERSCOTCH - Roll dough to a rectangular sheet and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 1-inch slices and place cut side down on greased baking sheet or in greased muffin pan.

**************************************************



So I had my first date in six years on Thursday evening. And lived to tell the tale! I thought I might perish from nerves about 15 minutes before I left the house. My first instinct was to eat something sinful, but I ate a banana instead and it did the trick. As soon as I met the guy and could see how nervous he seemed, it calmed me down. One of us had to be relaxed, right? We met for a cup of coffee at this restaurant which serves dessert only. (No dessert for me, thanks!) The emailer was more handsome than he looked in in his pictures. Tall and slim with a pianist's fingers. He was soft spoken with a careful, deliberate way of talking. But still... very little interest it seems in actually getting to know more about me. He's never even asked me the easy questions. You know, the kind of stuff you'd ask a new co-worker or somebody you just met at a cocktail party. Instead he showed me all the apps on his iPhone. Yep. His iPhone. Is that the 21st century equivalent of showing a potential mate what you've been able to club and drag back to the cave?

I'm not sure what happens next. I shook his hand good-bye and told him I'd had a nice time. He didn't suggest seeing each other again and neither did I. (I didn't suggest that he call on my mother, either!) I'd be open to a second date, but he hasn't emailed me since Thursday evening. And I haven't a clue what he thought of me. Couldn't even hazard a guess. He was very guarded. Perhaps I'd better reach for my New American Etiquette (1941). What kind of advice on "dating" does Lily Haxworth Wallace have to offer this week?

No girl or young woman should ever visit, upon his invitation alone, the home of a man who lives with female relatives. Before she can go, she must have an invitation from one of the ladies.

One of the most troublesome questions that has arisen because of the modern freedom of relations between the sexes is whether or not a girl or young woman may visit a man in his apartment alone.

The answer is almost invariably "No" but there can be many circumstances that make it seem proper. A girl from a small town, on a visit to the city, might call upon and have dinner with a man from her home town. Where is the harm in that? A bride-to-be would certainly be in no danger if she visited her fiance in his rooms? Dozens of other similar examples could be given.

According to the rigid rules of etiquette, it must not be done. There are many conservatives who would severely disapprove and certainly Mrs. Grundy can be expected to take full advantage of any such "goings on." According to the same rules of proper living, it would seem that whether it is right or wrong depends entirely upon the girl. When a girl considers going alone to the man's apartment, she should ask herself just one question:

"Would I do this if I knew my mother, Mrs. Grundy, and everyone I know sees me enter?"

If the answer to that question is "Yes," where can the harm be? If the answer is "No," the visit had better not be made.

It is even considered improper for two or three girls to visit in a man's rooms unless an older woman - a chaperon - is present.

Neither can one girl with another young couple make the visit with any more propriety than she could alone.

At any party given by a bachelor in his apartment, older persons, who will serve the purpose of chaperons, should always be present.

It is perfectly all right, however, for two girls to take tea with a college man in his rooms.

If you are willing to make the visit and thus dare Mrs. Grundy, make it a point to leave early. Do not remain after nine o'clock or, at the very latest, ten. If you go during the day, do not stay long. Mrs. Grundy only needs to have a man and woman together for one minute to tell some dreadful tales. Three or four hours might keep her busy for a year. Be sensible about this matter. Do not give people any excuse for gossip for only a few minutes of fleeting pleasure. Weigh the scales well to determine whether more good or harm may come to you because of the visit.

38 + 3 = 41

That's more like it! 41 lbs. this morning... which means I've reached my half-way point and left it in the dust. WHOO-HOO!!!!! I weighed in at 153 today. Gosh, I can remember way back in April when I counted forward to the end of the year. I figured if I could lose 1 lb. per week, I'd weigh in at 155 by New Year's Eve. Here it is late September and I've hit that mark already. My next goal? 145. I'd like to see it by November 21 at the latest.

I've honestly had a tough time this week getting back into the swing of things. Last minute social plans, the need to buy some clothes in my new size... there have been lots of things disrupting my routine, but I'm determined to put my house in order this weekend. The one thing I've clung to like a life raft has been my reducing and fitness plan. No matter what else is happening around me, I've got to keep riding this momentum for as long as it lasts. The next plateau could be around any corner.

So I may have a date - of sorts - this afternoon! Nope, not Curly. Just the fellow my friend set me up with. The emailer. I adopted the vintage attitude of waiting for him to make the first move and it took, well, I think it's been a few weeks now. Maybe a month. He finally wrote and asked me, "Would you care to get together sometime this week?" We've had to plan the date via email, but it looks like we might be meeting this afternoon for a cup of coffee at a restaurant which serves desserts only. And we'll see what happens. I'm not expecting any chemistry --- but you can't plan that kind of thing, right? He seems like a nice man. I wanted to see it through to an actual date because of our mutual friend. And I could use some practice with this whole dating thing! Perhaps we'd better check in with Lily Haxworth Wallace in The New American Etiquette (1941) to see if she has any advice that might help me out:

As explained in the section on "dating" it is quite proper for a young lady to ask a man to call on her and her mother or it is quite correct for him to ask if he may.

The inclusion of the mother in the invitation or request is one of the ways we have to show that we do not entirely forget the proprieties of the past, because, most assuredly, the mother will probably only stop for a few words after the young man has been presented to her. She will then vanish into another part of the house and only appear again just before she goes to bed or when the young man is leaving. When bidding the mother good night, the young man should ask her permission to call again. This need only be done at the first call.

The young girl who has an apartment alone or with another girl is faced with an entirely different problem. The girl en famille is never criticized by Mrs. Grundy when she entertains a young man even though she may be as much alone with him as the girl who entertains him in her apartment. There is no difference at all in what happens, but the girl alone, who entertains her men friends, is often the target of all sorts of gossip. Even the men who call, of course eliminating those who know her very well, seem to feel a difference between her and the girl in her own home.

The girl alone had better insist that her men friends leave early, not after midnight. It is better if she makes her dinner parties affairs for four. She should not invite her escort in if they arrive home after twelve. Her parties should never be loud affairs and it would be best if liquor is kept at a minimum. If she so acts, the single girl who lives alone will give Mrs. Grundy little to talk about.

The wealthy girl, who for some reason lives alone in her apartment, would be wise to have a companion - something like a chaperon - and then she can entertain to her heart's desire. Of course, if she has a retinue of servants, they, also, tend to keep gossip at a low ebb.

So far, so good. I'm not planning on entertaining this young man in my apartment. Thank goodness for restaurants and other public places! My fellow diners should help to keep Mrs. Grundy at bay.

36 + 2 = 38

Ooh, so close! I weighed in at 156 lbs. this morning. Just 1 lb. shy of my midway milestone. Soooooooooo close!!! I have to hold off on the confetti and streamers for a little bit longer. How's that for some incentive for the next week. I want to see that 155 so badly I can hardly stand it!

So I guess I was a little over-optimistic about my boss' vacation when it started. :) What a week. I went from feeling completely capable to feeling absolutely overwhelmed and struggling to get as much done at home as I had the energy to do. It's almost over, thank goodness. She'll be back on Tuesday. I'm grateful to have a couple days at home now to recuperate and get caught up on some housework. It's my kitchen's turn this week for an extra special, super-duper monthly cleaning, but I thought I'd sit down and catch up with my blog before getting started on that big job.

My vintage breakfast menu this morning called for Sweet Rolls, but there was no way on God's green earth I had the patience or energy to attempt any yeast breads this weekend! So I flipped through the pages of my cookbook to try and find a quick bread that'd be hearty and filling. You know what's wild? Being able to do that - knowing that I've got the ingredients for most things already there in my own pantry. That still gives me a rush. Here's the recipe for the Raisin Bran Muffins that caught my eye. This is a sugar-free wartime recipe --- the only sweeteners being molasses and the natural sugars in raisins. They were tasty, but nowhere near as yummy as the Rolled Oat Muffins I made a month or so ago.

************************************************

RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS

3/4 cup sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bran
1/2 cup seeded raisins
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon melted shortening

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together; add bran and raisins. Beat egg and mix with remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients, mixing only enough to dampen all the flour. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full and bake in hot oven (400 degrees F.) 30 minutes. Makes 12.

************************************************

Have muffin pans gotten larger since 1945? Not the Texas muffin kind, the everyday muffin pans... This recipe only yielded 10 muffins for me and a few of them were very small.

You'll be proud of me - I finally managed to choke out a conversation with Curly this last week! He came by my office a couple times on Wednesday, the second time to toast one of the bagels in the kitchen that somebody had brought in for a birthday. So his bagel's in the toaster, he's looking at a map on the wall beside my desk, and I'm finishing up a phone call and thinking to myself, "Jitterbug, it's now or never. You've got to move this beyond, 'Hi. How are you?' This is it!" I moved right into his space and asked him something I knew would make him laugh. And he laughed out loud. What a smile! I just wanted to see it again and again. He told me a funny story, then his bagel was finished and I needed to get back to work anyway. Goodness, anybody walking by would have instantly seen how attracted I am to him - he couldn't not have seen it himself --- I must have been smiling and blushing and batting my eyelashes like no tomorrow. I felt a little embarrassed afterward, but decided that if he didn't come by again for awhile that was a sure sign that he was uncomfortable with my attention. Well, he came by again the next day. That's all I needed to know. Open season!

Just so you know how hard it is for me to talk coherently when Curly's anywhere in the vicinity, here's a hint of what's running through my mind. Check out these beautiful pictures taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt at Penn Station in 1944. They're almost a little too personal to look at...