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.

What a Difference 67 Years Makes!

A few days ago, the Yahoo home page featured an article from GQ.com written for men looking for "gifts women will flip for." It makes for kind of a neat snapshot of the kinds of Christmas gifts popularly suggested for women in this day and age:

1. Glassybaby Votive Candles
Handblown glass votives made in Seattle.

2. Envirosax
Reusable shopping bags.

3. Sarah Horowitz Parfums Online Journey
Custom-designed fragrance.

4. Smythson of Bond Street Notebook
Leather-bound notebook.

5. Kodak Zi8
Digital camcorder.

6. Club Monaco Cashmere Scarf

7. Ultimate Ears 700 Earphones

8. A.P.C. Madras Shoulder Bag

9. Leather Jacket, Jimmy Choo for H&M

10. David Yurman Four-Row Baby Box Chain
Sterling silver necklace.

But what about the '40s? How does this list from 2009 compare to a similar article from a 1942 newspaper. The gift suggestions for 1942 certainly sound a lot more practical. Gifts better designed to benefit the household as a whole than most of the gifts recommended in 2009. Take a look...

1. Ration Card Holder
"They're going like all get-out in Fifth avenue's already crowded stores. Best seller: a wine leather folder containing a sample of the government coupons which will be required for many things besides sugar in 1943."

2. Bathrobes
"Smartest robes are 'keep her warm' gifts. Rayon fabrics make some pretty special ones. The bright plaid taffeta, knee-length brunch coat that was a popular novelty last Christmas is important this year. Soft crush-resistant velvets, crepes and satins are ankle length under WPB regulations. Newer still are brushed or spun rayons that look soft and delicate, but are warm and wearable. A tasteful example is a pale pink challis with yellow flowers, quilted, fitted, double breasted. Cotton eyelet lace edges revers, cuffs and pockets. Rose velvet ribbon is drawn through the lace and tied in bows."

3. Bedsocks
"...perhaps imported English handmades with drawstrings and ball pompoms..."

4. Electric Blanket
"...for automatically controlled snugness, both as extra bedcovering and as an afghan in the living room..."

5. Sweater
"...wool sweaters, both classics and smart evening sweaters."

6. Scarf
"...say a huge, fringed plaid scarf, or one of those ice-mist ones which look like a wisp of cloud but feel quite cozy when worn about the shoulders or as a hood."

7. Garment Care Accessories
"...a wood stretcher to insure that her home-washed sweaters will look professionally blocked and wear better; mending kits of every description, and a remarkably good-looking and hard-as-iron coverall apron. This has the attached potholder and a pocket big enough for the duster, as well as the furniture glue."

8. Overalls
"Of course, if she's working in industry, overalls are in order, for these would be what stockings were, never-too-many."

9. Handkerchiefs
"Stores expect this will be the biggest 'handkerchief Christmas' in years. The supply of linens varies but many shops have them: Madeira and Swiss and Chinese. Printed handkerchiefs to match or 'make' a costume are particularly popular. Sheer cottons and rayons also are worth attention, being less soft and absorbent but also much more rumple-resistant."

10. American China
"For that so-numerous type, the war bride, the best gift still is something to add to the enduring beauty and comfort of her home... There are good stocks (though not uniformly plentiful) of fine imported and American china, and new ones are being introduced just now. There is one new collection of china with designs contributed by outstanding American artists."

Which list fits you best?

Iron Dry

It's Tuesday --- which means it's time to do my weekly ironing here at Casa Jitterbug. I've set up my ironing station in the kitchen and retrieved an armful of hangers from the bedroom closet. While the iron heats up to the "nylon" setting, I thought it'd be a nice time to pay a call on my readers...

The authors of The Manual advise their own readers to begin the week's ironing by about 10:00 on Tuesday morning - after giving each of the rooms in the house a "light cleaning." After lunch, it was back to the ironing board. By 2:00 p.m., the efficient and skillful housewife should have all her ironing put away. That seems awfully quick. A whole week's ironing for a family in just a few hours? Especially for a woman working with a clunkier iron than we have today. And with all the different kinds of linens and things that were considered "must-irons" back in the day! Well, I guess if you didn't have any interruptions - and with several years' experience - you could probably get the job done in a few hours.

I shudder to remember how I used to iron everything on-demand. I had to drag that board out several mornings a week as I never ironed anything in advance. I was convinced they'd just wrinkle up again while hanging in the closet --- boy, was I wrong. (It helps when you don't have your closet jammed full of clothes that you don't wear any longer or don't fit you any more. Ironed clothes need a little elbow room.) Those of you who've been following me for awhile will probably remember what an adjustment this was for me. Now I love dispatching a whole week's ironing in a single evening. Last winter, when I was just getting started with the weekly ironing, I posted some general tips on ironing from The Manual. America's Housekeeping Book (1945) also gives detailed instructions on how to iron various kinds of wearing apparel or linens. Maybe it's time for me to check in with this vintage advice. How does my technique stand up? How 'bout yours?

Flatwork

1. Table Cloths: Fold selvedge to selvedge, right side out. Iron first on one side, then on the other. Fold again, lengthwise. Iron again on both sides. Fold to put away.

I have to admit I've never ironed any tablecloths. Of course, I only own two - an antique formal cloth that's never seen the light of day in my household and a floral one that dates to the early '40s and which I'm terrified even to launder. It only gets spot cleaned and shaken clean of crumbs once a week. One of these days I'll brave up...

2. Sheets: If you wish to be especially careful, iron as for tablecloths. Or iron 4 thicknesses at once: fold hem to hem, then fold in half, bringing hem side to fold. Iron first on plain side, then on hem side.

Check! Though I'm not always sure that I iron my sheets "right side out." I'll double-check them tonight.

3. Embroidered Pieces: Place heavy padding such as a folded bath towel on board or roll. Place the right side of the embroidery on the padding. Iron flat and perfectly dry.

Haven't had the occasion to iron any embroidered pieces lately. Do I even own any embroidered pieces?

4. Round Doilies: Iron from center toward outside edge. Keep turning the doily. Iron in the direction of the warp and filling yarns, not diagonally across them, or the doily will lose its shape.

Now this tip would have come in very handy when women kept as many doilies around the house as we do remote controls. I don't own any doilies, but I'd love to crochet a chair set one of these days for my club chair in the living room. I'll have to keep this tip in mind.

Curtains

1. Straight: Iron selvedge edges first. 2. Ruffled: Iron ruffles first... Iron a few inches at a time; finish edge first, then nose iron into gathers... After ruffles are finished, iron the body of the curtain, starting at the top hem and ironing downward. Avoid stretching, and iron in the direction of the yarns.

My only window coverings are blinds. I'm planning to amend this as I do some redecorating over the next several months, but in the meantime... My apartment sounds pathetic, doesn't it? Not a linen in sight!

Wearing Apparel

1. Dresses and Blouses: Iron in this order: trimmings, sleeves, back, front, collar. Double thicknesses such as hems, collars and cuffs should be ironed first on the wrong side, then on the right. A sleeve board is helpful auxiliary equipment. If material is dark in color, use a pressing cloth when ironing on the right side.

I'm definitely catching sleeves first these days, but I haven't saved collars for last - and haven't paid any attention to which side of the collar gets ironed first. I always iron dark-colored things wrong side out.

2. Men's Soft Shirts: (a) Collar: Iron on wrong side, then right side until perfectly dry, pulling taut and working from points in. Iron neckband completely dry. Shape collar by hand, iron edge of crease. (b) Yoke: Fold flat and iron dry. Iron armhole seams dry. (c) Cuffs and Sleeves: Iron cuffs same as collar. Nose iron up into gathers. Straighten sleeves from underarm seam; iron on both sides. Iron underarm seam dry. (d) Back and Front: Iron back first, then buttonhole side of front, then button side of front. Iron both sides of front pleat, holding it taut to prevent wrinkles.

There aren't any men in residence here, so I don't have any men's shirts to lavish this kind of attention on. I'm a little offended, though, that women's blouses just got junked in with the very brief instructions for ironing dresses! The authors of The Manual certainly had men's shirts down to a science.

3. Men's Washable Suits: (a) Iron linen suits while very damp; seersucker suits when slightly damp, gently stretching to original measurements. (b) Iron trouser pockets and waistband. (c) Place waistband of trousers over end of ironing board. Starting at fly, iron top of trousers. Remove from board. Place one trouser leg on board, straightening it from the "in-seam." (d) Press crease sharply for the entire length. Repeat, ironing second trouser leg. (e) Hang up to dry thoroughly. (f) Iron body of coat first, keeping lower edge in a straight line, and working from front to back and then to front again. (g) Iron sleeves, collar and lapels. (h) Iron shoulders on extra padding placed over the narrow end of the ironing board.

I guess the women who wore trousers would have to refer to these instructions, too. And I just finished ironing a pair myself! I'll have to check back in with these next week... All of this "iron dry" language reminds you how women used to dampen clothes before ironing them in these pre-steam iron days.

4. Pajamas: Iron like washable suits, above.

Shoot! We're supposed to be ironing our pajamas?

Trimmings, etc.

1. Smocking: Dry smocked sections with iron. Fluff up smocking with finger tips.

2. Pleats: (a) Iron hem of skirt first. (b) Pin pleats to pad or ironing board from under side of hem, using rust-proof pins. Be careful not to catch fabric where pinpricks will show. (c) Iron from bottom to top.

3. Tatting: Press tatting, never iron across it. Fingerpress while still damp, then press dry.

4. Tucks: (a) Vertical: Pull taut and hold taut while ironing lengthwise. (b) Horizontal: Iron downward from top tuck toward bottom tuck. Iron each section dry before going on to the next, or puckering may result.

5. Slide Fasteners: Close before ironing or pressing.

6. Laces: (a) Place face down on soft pad. (b) Iron from center to outside edge. (c) Lace used as trimming should be ironed from the attached edge outward if it is sewed on flat. If ruffled, iron from outside edge inward. (d) Fragile or rare old lace must be given special care by experts. Museums can advise you where special treatment is given.

7. Fringe: (a) Do not iron. (b) Comb gently when wet.

Velvet and Pile Fabrics

1. Do not iron.

2. Steam small pieces as follows: Tie several thickness of cheesecloth over teakettle spout. When steam emerges, pass the velvet rapidly back and forth through steam, so the steam passes through the velvet from the wrong side to the right side.

3. Send velvet garment or large pieces of velvet or other pile fabrics to a good dry-cleaning establishment for cleaning and steaming.

I can safely say I don't currently own any velvet or any clothes or linens trimmed with smocking, tatting, or fringe. Lace - I don't think so. Slide fasteners - Are these the same as zippers? I do own some pleated skirts, so will have to have these instructions at the ready next time they show up in my ironing pile. I usually avoid the pleated areas completely, but if you're treating your clothes with an eye toward long-term wear, you can't avoid those pleats forever!

"a new era, when women are to be fascinating"

I was preparing a post on make-up last night and came across this lovely bit from an article which appeared on the woman's page in a Spokane, Washington newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, on October 30, 1949 --- sixty years ago tomorrow!

Begin the season as you should and be more meticulous about yourself - how you groom, what make-up you wear, your figure, your wardrobe. Look your best whenever you step out. You know what happens when you do not look your best? You meet the man of your dreams, a catty female friend or an old schoolmate. It never fails to happen. [Isn't that the truth!!!] So just make it a habit to look very well all of the time.

Casual fashions, casual manners and casual dressing are now of the past. We have entered (mind you, we are in it now) a new era, when women are to be fascinating, a trifle superficial, beautifully and expensively gowned, fragranced with costly brews, made up to look like very precious and very expensive dolls!

A marvelous preface to the '50s. It's funny to think of women in 1949 considering the fashions, manners, and dressing popular in the recent past as "casual." I guess the spare skirts and slim sleeves of wartime must have seemed like ancient history by the time Christian Dior's New Look hit the runways of Paris in February 1947. (What would the women reading this article in 1949 think if they could look forward in a crystal ball and see the fashions, manners, and dressing popular today?)

The weather here has taken a sharp turn toward autumn, so I've been trolling the stores for the last few days looking for warm pants, cozy sweaters, and non-open toed shoes. I even picked up some tights yesterday! As I step back and look at my own wardrobe, I can't help but think how the author of this newspaper article could be describing my own metamorphosis in 2009. There are still remnants of my frumpy past at the back of my closet - a few things here and there in a size that might fit, but I never reach for them. The colors I used to rely on are so drab and plain I can't bear to wear them outside the house. I've gotten hooked on the feeling of confidence that comes with knowing the fit of my garments is flattering to my figure and the colors make the most of my complexion.

Speaking of fit, I'm lovin' the cowl neck sweaters out there this season. With my hair up and my "new" collarbone on display, they make for a killer neckline. I bought a gorgeous sweater in royal blue the other day and felt so fetching in it all day long I had to go out and get another in black. And if I ever needed an excuse to buy some new earrings...

My metamorphosis even helped me come up with an idea for Halloween this year. Any guesses?

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?

A Few New Finds

Does shopping for the perfect skirt in a size 12 count as marketing?

I sure hope so. Then I can happily check Wednesday's mission off my list for the week! Actually, I did make a super quick stop at the natural foods store on my way home, but the better part of my evening was definitely spent shopping for new clothes. For the second time this week no less. My boss has come back to work and I've been spending all my newfound energy trying to replenish my wardrobe. There's nothing worse when you've lost a lot of weight than feeling scrummy in clothes that just hang on you, so it was off to the stores this week. Yesterday, I found a darling little plum-colored sheath which is flattering as can be --- and machine washable! Tonight's find was a little brown skirt with pleats along the hem at the sides and a fabric buckle-y doodad just above each set of pleats. Way too hard to describe, but I love the way it looks on me. I was awfully tempted by a gray skirt, but it was a bit loose around the waist and I know there's only one direction I'm headed when it comes to my waistline! Better to buy things that fit perfectly now - as they'll (hopefully) be too big for me before long.

The more time I spend cruising the racks, the better I get at shopping for clothes. What seemed awkward to this reforming frump a few months ago now feels like a skill I'm learning. Trying things on is a must. No matter how scared I am by the lighting in those dressing rooms! (Is it ever not absolutely frightful?) If it doesn't fit me perfectly, back to the rack it goes. And as I experiment, I'm getting to know what kinds of coverage I need in order to feel feminine without feeling immodest. What different colors do for my complexion. And how you can't always predict while a garment's on the hanger how it's going to look once you slip it on. I've been pleasantly surprised from time to time. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I enjoy clothes shopping - I'm too thrifty to ever really experience "retail therapy" - but it doesn't wear me down like it used to.

I guess these would have been the kind of skills a woman of the 1940s would have been practicing since she was a girl and accompanied her mother to the department store. True, there were plenty of women still making their own clothes at home, but there were probably just as many who never learned to do any dressmaking and purchased all their clothing ready-made.

The Manual describes clothing - like food - as a "flexible expense." Though about 15% of the average household budget of the era was spent on clothing, a skillful housewife could spend a little less when times were tough and some of that 15% was needed on other expenses. Here's one area where endless Mondays in the laundry room and the ability to think ahead could truly pay off:

...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.

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.

Now if I could just find the perfect new pair of brown shoes to match my new skirt...

Gremlins

How many days 'til my boss gets back from vacation?

Four, I guess. Which means - unhappily - that I'm only halfway done. I'll be so happy to get back to my own job next Tuesday!

Gremlins of every size and shape have been sitting on my shoulders for the last couple days. Procrastination, Sloth, Self-pity... it turns out they've been with me all this time. I just haven't hear their voices very clearly for the last several months. Tempting me to cut corners, put chores off, just skip things altogether. And so I find myself here on a Tuesday evening trying to finish cleaning the bathroom (this should have been done over the weekend), fold and put away my clean laundry (last night's chore) - and, well, forget about the ironing! I'll have to save that for tomorrow evening. I haven't packed a vintage lunch once yet this week. So I'm struggling, but I'm trying to keep my eyes on the prize and get as much accomplished each day as I possibly can. Whatever I do, I cannot let the stress translate itself into snacking or skipping my exercises. Nothing tastes as good as the success I feel when I step on that scale the morning after a snack-free evening.

It's time to re-kit my wardrobe again. My size 16 pants are falling off me and the size 14s are getting baggy, too. I did some shopping last night and I seem to be fitting into a size 12 in most brands. That seems almost surreal to write. A size 12! That's a number I haven't seen in ages... Unfortunately, most of the stores here in town are stocking all kinds of new fall/winter clothes even though it's going to be far too hot here to wear anything but summer clothes until about December. So I hit an online store today and picked up two new pairs of cropped pants that should help tide me over. (I have these same pants in a size 16 right now, so I know the cut will work for me!) By the time I'm in a size 10, it'll be cool enough to pick up some of this warmer clothing. Thank goodness those online merchants are a little less slow to run out of seasonal inventory! I'd have been out of luck sixty years ago. That is if cropped pants were even suitable for a woman my age.

Thanks for listening to me blather on for a bit about my crazy week. Here's to much more vintage fun very soon!

It's a Girl!

I've gotten some great compliments from women lately. A co-worker whom I see only once every couple months asked me the other day if I had new glasses. "Nope." "Your face looks different," she insisted. So we gabbed for a good long while about my diet and exercise regimen. A friend of mine told me yesterday how young I was looking these days. Incredible compliments, I tell you --- I'm so grateful. The women around you can build up your spirits and your resolve in a wonderful way.

But it's the reaction of men that has been the zinger.

It started on the street one morning as I was walking to my office building. A middle-aged man looked directly at me and gave me an appreciative smile. It's probably the first time that's happened to this former frump in several years and it caught me completely off-guard! (I think it must have been the red lipstick.) The men I work with are all too dear and polite - and much older than I am - to even breathe a word to me about my having lost weight, but some of them smile in a new way when they see me lately. Kind of in a curious, appreciative, it's-nice-to-see-a-pretty-woman-around-here kind of way. Like they'd like to ask what I've been doing with myself, but there's a rule in the Book of Masculine Etiquette that a gentleman never brings up weight around a lady.

It's not that I'm interested in what any of these particular men think of my looks, but it has been a strange and novel experience for me even to sample that kind of admiration again. I'd forgotten the power that an attractive woman can have when it comes to men. I don't think I've sensed that power since I was in my early to mid-twenties. Oh, it was heady stuff in those days... These days, I'm more than content that the men I work with, for instance, think of me simply as a trusted and accomplished colleague. I guess they just happen to be serving as a kind of mirror to me lately. Allowing me to see myself in a new light.

Maybe it's my crush. (I'll call him Curly.) There's such electricity in the air for me these days - I don't know which end is up when he walks by. I guess what I'm trying to say in a very clumsy way is that I'm actually feeling like a woman again. And it's been a long time coming. It makes me teary even now just to try and express this in writing.

When I had to shop for some new clothes (in a new size) a few weeks ago, I picked out clothes in colors - passionate lipstick pinks and bright, beautiful yellows. What a change they brought to my old wardrobe of neutrals! Blacks, whites, grays, khakis --- now I'm reaching for colors that make me feel more feminine than I have in years. I even bought a silk flower on a clip to wear in my hair. Since picking up a set of curlers a few days ago, I've been experimenting. It feels so good to have a little bounce and sass to my hair. I'm going to start sounding like a broken record soon, but it's a far cry from the buns and ponytails and the ever popular hair-tucked-behind-the-ears look that had become my signature hairstyles.

Gosh, if this is what losing 20 lbs. can do, I can't even imagine what I'll find myself thinking and feeling - and doing - at 40!

13 + 2 = 15

Looks like the PMS storm clouds have passed... and the combination of things which seemed completely overwhelming yesterday turn out to be quite defeatable this morning. I've just got to prioritize and tackle things one at a time. And no matter how bad it gets, I'm not going to let this trivia drive me to the cupboards or prevent me from doing my workout. Things may be falling down around me, but I'm determined to continue seeing some progress on the scale.

On a much happier note, I've weighed in at 179 for the last two mornings in a row! That's 2 more lbs. gone and a grand total of 15 lbs. lost since beginning this fitness and reducing plan in April. I suspect the disappearance of peanut butter cups from my pantry has had a lot to do with that, but the transformation in my dinners and lunches on weekends may be responsible as well. One thing I've noticed with my walks is how much the increased heat and humidity slows me down. (Temps reached 112 degrees F. yesterday!) It takes me the same amount of time to do five laps now as it used to take to do six laps. I'd be worried, but things continue to move in the right direction on the scale. Could the humidity be acting as a kind of weight resistance?

My figure isn't the only thing undergoing a makeover. Here are some of the other makeovers taking place at Casa Jitterbug these days:

The $11 Renovation
Just before my vacation, I purchased a new padded cover for my little countertop ironing board. Nothing fancy, just a $7 cover made from a blue fabric with white ticking stripes. What a change after ironing on a cover so threadbare I could see the metal grid pattern on my clothes! Between my new ironing board cover and a new lavender sachet ($4) to freshen up my linen closet, I'm looking forward to Tuesday nights again...

Thinning out the Wardrobe
With 15 less lbs. on my frame, there are lots of things in my closet that don't come close to fitting me any longer. Garments I wore at my heaviest (208 lbs. in January 2008), garments that I still wore with a belt just for the sake of frugality. I resolved during my vacation to thin out my wardrobe and quit hanging on to saggy, unfashionable clothes like a security blanket. I went in there with my metaphorical pruning shears the other night and removed everything in a size 20W, 22W, or 2X/XXL. Filled an entire garbage bag with clothing which hasn't come near to fitting me in a long time. This will keep me from reaching for garments that don't do my figure any favors. It also makes room for some new clothing in a size that fits me.

Meow!
I've also been thinking about investing in a pair of kitten heels. Something at a height comfy enough that I can wear 'em all day long at work, but more flattering to my legs than flats. I think I'll hit the shoe store this evening.

Back in a bit with my new vintage culture mission...

Irons in the Fire

No sooner did I get home from work this evening and it's almost time for bed! I don't know how the time away from work slips by so quickly on these weekday evenings... It's going to make some of my weekday housecleaning missions loom large. (Can you tell I'm getting the jitters about the mission ahead on Thursday evening?)

On the other side of the equation, I've noticed that ironing my laundry in one fell swoop has actually created some time in my mornings. How cool is that? I pick out my clothes for the day and just pluck them from their hangers. Ready to go. No lugging out the ironing board. No heating the iron for one or two items. One of the reasons I never used to iron everything at once is because I thought the clothes would be wrinkled again by the time I went to wear them. That they'd get wrinkled while they were hanging in the closet. That's actually not the case - which has been a wonderful surprise. It's been a couple weeks, but it's nice to see some payoff from the ironing mission.

And speaking of ironing, I'm getting ready to do just that tonight. The manual advises me to arrange my ironing area with an eye toward moving the clothes from left to right: "Place the clothesbasket at your left, a clothes rack at your right, and be sure there are coat hangers near at hand." Here are a few of the Top Ten tips I'm still striving to be mindful about:

2. When you straighten material on the ironing board or roll of a rotary ironer, use the palms of your hands and smooth from the center out. Your fingers are apt to stretch the fabrics and pull them out of shape.

3. Iron with straight strokes, with the thread of the fabric.

5. Collars, cuffs, sleeves, belts and trimmings are ironed first, then the flat sections of the garment.

My breakfast menu for the last two days has been another of the trio from the 1944 edition of the Good Housekeeping Cook Book:

Half of Grapefruit
Omelet
Toasted English Muffins

The secret I've discovered to making a lovely, golden omelet is keeping the heat at a steady medium. A shade hotter and the omelet starts to brown. At least that's how it works on my stovetop. They're all a little different!

Plugging In...

One of the best things I've learned at the ironing board sounds so simple: if you're a rightie (like me) and you plug in the iron to your left, you'll inevitably end up with a miserably kinked-up cord. All it takes to prevent that is just to plug in the iron to your right. And vice versa for lefties. That's it! The cord to my iron is now smooth and straight - and sooooooo much easier to use. What a difference that one little change made.

As I was doing my ironing last night, it occurred to me that the casual clothes so many of us wear these days are actually not as easy to iron as were the more formal clothes of the '40s. So many of the "blouses" (for lack of a better word) that I wear are some sort of cotton blend with a soft knit texture. And anyone who's tried to iron a tee shirt knows that you're fighting a losing battle against wrinkles. As soon as you iron 'em out, they pop up again in new places! Ironing a fabric with a little more substance to it is much more simple. It sounds kind of ironic - as I'm sure all those vintage collars and plackets and pleats took time - but the fabrics must have been much satisfying to iron.

This morning's breakfast:

Prunes

Graham Muffin (the last of the leftovers)

Baked Eggs

I've never baked eggs before, so I wasn't sure what I'd find when I opened the oven. I didn't have any of the "individual baking dishes" recommended in the recipe, so I used a mini loaf pan and they turned out just fine. A little rubbery - I think I'll bake them at a slightly lower temperature next time - but still good. Do you think I could use something like a popover pan or muffin pan to make Baked Eggs next time? Or would they turn out better in some kind of ceramic or stoneware?

I set forth on my new mission this evening as I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home from work with a very small list in hand. The manual doesn't have any recommendations for the homecoming shopper, but there are a few words of advice in The Good Housekeeping Housekeeping Book (1947):

Use all the time you need for marketing for these days and putting the food away. Wash and trim fresh vegetables and put them in the refrigerator ready for use.

That's a great idea. It'd certainly save you some time when it was time to put supper on the table or pack the family's lunch boxes. I didn't get any veggies this trip. Guess I'll have to get those crispers in my refrigerator ready for use next time...

Week's End

The deeper I dig into this way of life, the more often it occurs to me how dangerous it was to be a housewife during the '40s. Between hot oil in the frying pan, a searingly hot iron, and chemicals you have to be super careful using about the house and garden - it was a fearsome job. It still is! Not only can you damage property or waste food if you make a mistake, but you could end up with burnt arms or worse... I think many of us look on homemaking as a very simple, gentle, quiet job, but the housewife is actually working with some very dangerous substances and tools. Even in 2009. I'm a pretty clumsy person and tend to rush into things like new recipes, but clumsiness and haste aren't going to do me any favors on this job.

Since adding Wash Day and Ironing Day to my housekeeping routine, I've been spending a lot more time with my clothes than ever before - and am realizing just how intimately a woman in the 1940s knew her wardrobe. And not just where she bought it and how much she paid for it. My '40s counterpart would've known fabrics inside and out - known what temperature water to wash each fabric in, how exactly it should be dried, whether it should be ironed on the right side or the wrong side. If a garment was made from a blend of fibers, it had another protocol entirely. Add buttons and zippers and decorative trim to the mix, and laundry became an intricate balance of needs. And I'm not even counting the time a woman spent on the articles she made herself! There's a whole different relationship to fabrics that this kind of time and attentiveness brought about - particularly to clothing. You'd be so much more likely to guard against damaging your garments, to work earnestly at removing stains before they set. This is foreign territory for me still.

I find myself truly appreciative these days of the encyclopedia's worth of knowlege a '40s housewife carried about in her head. Rules for everything from which batters needed more stirring than others to which laundry required a cool wash. Everything I'm resorting to the manual to find out. Now, she'd probably been absorbing this stuff since she was a little girl, so it'd have come quite naturally. Maybe I'll start to pick up some of this knowledge, too --- at least some of the more general rules. 'Til then, thank goodness for America's Housekeeping Book!

Label Conscious

As I was sorting through my dirty laundry last night in preparation for this morning's wash, it occurred to me that I've spent more time during the last two weeks reading the labels on my clothes than I ever have before. I guess I'm getting to know my clothes more intimately. And after you've seen the label a few times, you almost don't have to look at it again. There were three rayon blend pieces I washed by machine and let air dry. Three handwashables. One silk blend piece I washed by machine and forgot to pull - so ended up running it through the dryer by accident. My bathroom is filled with clothes in various stages of damp, while my clean laundry has been folded and put away.

Except for the pieces that need ironing.

What to do overnight with those? In the '40s, freshly cleaned articles that needed ironing were "sprinkled" with water and spent the night rolled up in the refrigerator. Since I do have a steam iron, I'm not going to create any extra work for myself. I'll start with dry clothes. That's the plan for now. I may change my mind later on when I've been able to work more and more of these chores smoothly into my routine.

The manual does give me one tip that I put to use today:

When the washing is taken down, smooth each piece and fold it carefully, keeping like pieces together. A little time spent now will save a great deal of time in sprinkling and ironing later.

So I folded all the pieces that need ironing - like with like - and stored them in a clothesbasket for the night.

Competing Visions

Since I still had a Grapefruit Half left over from yesterday, today's breakfast was more of the same. Once again, I ended up with citrus juice on my tablecloth. I've decided that I'm either going to have to loosen each of the segments at the kitchen countertop before bringing my grapefruit to the table or take the tablecloth off the table when grapefruits or oranges are on the menu! Maybe I'll have pick up some non-vintage table linens for just these kinds of mornings...

I came across an article in a July 1944 issue of The American Home with one woman's routine in keeping house. "I Run My Career Like a Star" was written by Celia Mattox, a mother of three. Here's the bit on her morning schedule:

Whatever day it is, it begins at 6:30. To wash, I slip into a becoming dressing gown - watch the shade, for a strong color gives a pasty look to a face without any make-up. Then I change into my blue denim outfit to prepare breakfast. [She explains earlier that while at home during the day she likes to wear a "becoming cotton blouse" with a blue denim skirt and "gay apron."] That over, the dishes are stacked, the house is aired, and I snatch a few minutes to do my exercises.

There's one woman who opted for a "dressing gown" while she spent some time in the bathroom washing up, but she was fully dressed before hitting the kitchen. I notice that she mentions stacking the dishes (maybe she doesn't wash her breakfast dishes right away either) and airing her house (fresh air is given lots of emphasis in the 1945 housekeeping manual). It sounds like Mrs. Mattox wouldn't have much to argue about with the authors of the manual - at least when it comes to her early morning routine. Heck, maybe she even owned a copy herself!



The Good Housekeeping Housekeeping Book (1947), edited by Helen W. Kendall, also contains a schedule for housework, though it's not quite as detailed as the one in the 1945 manual. Each member of the household is instructed to "hang up night clothes and put away slippers" before finishing up in their bedrooms in the morning. As soon as breakfast is over, "the dishes should be washed and the kitchen straightened up before you go about other household work."

• Remove dishes from the table, scrape, and rinse under the faucet if they need it. Stack them neatly at one side of the sink.
  
• Put away foods that belong in the refrigerator.
  
• Clear away waste food. Get rid of grounds from coffee or tea pot and empty cooking utensils which have been soaking during the meal.
  
• Clean sink so that it will be ready for dishwashing.
  
• Prepare dishwater and wash, dry, and put away dishes.

Kendall suggests that the living room be tidied up just before going to bed at night. "To start each day with the room neat, take a few minutes before going to bed to pick up newspapers and magazines, empty the ash trays, and take glasses into the kitchen." While the 1945 manual advises every member of the family to do their part in straightening up the living room at bedtime, they seem to have built this step into the post-breakfast routine just in case others hadn't done their part after Mother retired for the evening. Those crazy teenagers and their record players! As a one-woman household, I have more control over this situation, so tidying up the living room at bedtime rather than in the morning is certainly an option.

Kendall recommends that pots and pans be soaked during the meal so they're ready for dishwashing as soon as you are. A great concept, but what if your family's interested in a second serving? This would probably work out fine for me unless I had any leftovers that needed to be dispatched with beforehand. The biggest way in which Kendall's routine differs from my 1945 housekeeping manual is dishwashing. She is adamant that the breakfast dishes must be washed before doing anything else. This is not a bad idea, but the fact that I have a dishwasher which only gets filled up a couple times a week makes it kind of a moot point. I might give some thought to getting the pots and pans washed up and put away right after breakfast. If I straightened up the living room at bedtime, that'd free up some time for dishwashing in the a.m.

What do you think? Have you come across any vintage housekeeping schedules that offer advice for these early morning chores?

A Wardrobe Question

I'm up to my ears in gingerbread this evening, but I wanted to pop in and share some of the things I've been pondering lately as I stir my Malt-O-Meal and tidy up my living room. For starters, the schedule in my 1945 housekeeping manual doesn't tell me when the housewife could shower (or bathe) and dress herself. Did she head down to the kitchen fully washed and dressed and ready to be seen by early morning callers, or was she wearing a robe with her hair still in curlers? If we were to judge by advertisements from the era, I'd say they were fully dressed at the breakfast table. In real life, though, was that really the case?

For myself, I've found that it seems to make more sense for me to get showered and dressed (and to have the bedroom straightened up) before I begin preparing breakfast. That way, if I have something that's going to take a long time - like Stewed Apricots or Prunes - I can get those started before getting dressed and have plenty to do while they're bubbling away on the back burner. Plus, I'm just not able to summon any kind of appetite as soon as I get out of bed in the morning. Definitely need some time to rustle that up! Since I have to head to work by 7:15 or so, I might as well be fully dressed as I go about my early morning chores.

Was it an age thing? Were older women more likely to be dressed for the day before leaving the bedroom? Were mothers - who also had to get the kids up and dressed - more likely to spend the early morning in bathrobe and slippers? Where do housecoats fit in? Here are some wonderful photos of '40s housewives in morning garb courtesy of the Library of Congress. The captions were written by the photographers.

Sheffield, Alabama. Mrs. Hall prepares breakfast for her husband before he leaves for work at the aluminum plant. (June 1942)

Washington, D.C. Lynn Massman, wife of a student at the Naval Air Station, eating breakfast while her eight-weeks-old son takes a nap. (December 1943)

Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. Cochran, the wife of a Greyhound bus driver, giving the children Sunday breakfast. (September 1943)

Frankford, Pennsylvania. Although she's one of America's vital production workers eight hours each day, fifty-five-year-old Eva Smuda still finds plenty of time to devote to home and family. Before the rest of the household is up, she has breakfast on the stove. (March 1942)

I was super excited when I found some Wheatena at one of the local grocery stores on my way home from work today. I've been looking all over for something wheat-y in the hot cereal section. And just in the nick of time, too, as I spy Cooked Whole-wheat Cereal coming up on the menu. The next item on my scavenger list: maple sugar. My breakfast this morning was building-blocks basic:

Grapefruit Juice

Cooked Farina and Barley Cereal

You know, I don't mind the lumps in my cereal very much when they happen, but I'm finding it's become a point of pride or something to make lump-free cereal. What's happening to me?!?

A Morning with the Ambergs

A few more pictures of Mrs. Amberg hard at work at home in September 1941. It's interesting that the shoes she's wearing are not the pumps we usually see in vintage ads of women at work; they're just oxfords. And she's wearing cotton socks. So she's dressed for comfort, with her hair tied up in a simple ribbon. Before preparing lunch, she's changed into a striped dress - maybe because Gilbert was coming home. Looks like it's toasted sandwiches and soup on the menu at the Amberg house. Stay tuned tomorrow to see how this 1941 housewife spent the afternoon...


Jane Amberg, housewife & mother, busy straightening up before launching into some heavy cleaning w. dust mop & carpet sweeper in her living room at home.


Jane Amberg scrubbing the bathtub in bathroom at home.


Jane Amberg using pop-up toaster w. slices of bread as she makes sandwiches for her three children at lunchtime in kitchen at home.

Jane Amberg, serving lunch to her husband Gilbert who has come home fr. the office a few minutes away & her ever-present kids at the kitchen table at home.

Week's End

Week One is nearing an end and I've successfully completed my mission every morning to date. I'm not suprised at anything here... These tasks only take a few minutes out of my day. But the experiment will get harder. Every week. I'm going to spend the first few weeks building a morning routine, then begin adding chores to my evenings. I threw in the towel last spring right around the time I got to the heavy duty cleaning, so tough times are in store! In the meantime, I'll savor these sweet, simple tasks for the time being and try to build up the endurance I'll need when the going gets tough.

I should mention - by way of explanation - what I'm doing to keep the rest of the house running while beginning this experiment. My modus operandi is to do everything else just as I'd normally do it. The laundry gets done when I've run out of underwear. The dishwasher gets emptied as I need the clean dishes - one meal at a time. It's complete and utter chaos out there! But my bad habits aren't going to change overnight. One step at a time...

The rooms where we sleep should be kept immaculately clean, sweet and fresh at all times.

Here again, a well-trained family can help with the care. If each one carries soiled clothing to the hamper or clothes-chute, hangs up other clothing... before breakfast, the sum total of saved time really amounts to something for the homemaker or servant.

What kinds of clothing do you suppose a '40s housewife was hanging up before leaving her bedroom in the morning? I guess they must have been the clothes she or her husband took off before going to bed last night. Suit jackets or cardigans, perhaps, the kinds of items that didn't require washing every time they were worn. If she changed into a housedress before fixing breakfast, she might have had a robe to hang up.

Maybe she's had a terrible time choosing an outfit to wear today and half her wardrobe is draped over one chair or another!

I've had a morning like that myself every once in awhile.